Deadly Past, Haunted Future
by vellathewench
Summary: Who is the woman Damon has suddenly become obsessed with and why? What secrets do her past hold that could spell trouble for the town and for the Salvatores? Is she strong enough to battle the demons of her past, or will they destroy her in the end?
1. Chapter 1

_**This is the first story I have ever written, so I hope its not too lame.**_

_**I have finished 17 chapters of this story so far and working on the 18th, but i like to read and reread them over again before i post.**_

**_Almost all of this story came to me in a dream I had one night, only the last couple of chapters were waking ideas._**

_**Most of the content is based on the Vampire Diaries tv show, but may have some ideas from the books added in.**_

_**Thanks for reading.**_

**CHAPTER 1 ~ The Accidental Meeting**

It was an unusually warm morning in late May. Fog was starting to conceal the landscape thinly. Birds were beginning to chirp from their nests, bats were circling the skies looking for mosquitoes before the sun makes its appearance. The wind was eerily absent.

But up in these trees there was a sight that was more than unusual.

Concealed in the trees was a dark figure, sitting on a branch about 30 feet off the ground, back against the trunk. He looked as if he was having a nap, but he was anything but asleep.

His cold, dark blue eyes were watching all movement around him. He knew the sun would be up soon and he would have to leave the tree before that happened.

His attention though, was focused on a window, or rather the woman on the other side of the window.

He wasn't thirsty, or at least he shouldn't be, nor did she look especially stunning, but something about her had him coming back to the same tree for the past 4 nights and into the next morning.

Damon often thought highly of himself. He looked out for himself and only himself, unless there was something in it for him. This time was different.

He wasn't quite sure what he was doing here, maybe he was losing his mind. All he was sure of was that it was time to go back to the Salvatore boarding house before the sun came up.

As we walked in the door of the old boarding house, his brother was there waiting for him.

Stefan was looking at his brother suspiciously as he walked through the door. He was wondering what his dear old brother had been up to the past few days. Hoping that no innocent person had been killed or tortured.

Damon gave his brother a sly smirk. "Well good morning to you too little brother."

"Where have you been?" Stefan inquired.

"Since when do I have to report to you where I go and what I do?" he replied with that same smirk on his face and added a roll of his eyes. It was none of his brother's business.

"I'm just trying to make sure you aren't getting into any trouble."

"Oh dear brother, trouble always has a way of finding me."

"That's what I'm afraid of Damon," Stefan replied and walked up to his room. He wasn't in the mood to argue with him today.

Damon decided to walk up to his room and go to bed. He had been up all night and was tired.

While he fell asleep quickly, he soon found himself unable to stay asleep. He tossed and turned to no avail.

Strange, he thought. I never have a problem sleeping in the daytime.

While time was pretty meaningless to him, there was an old grandfather clock in his room. He kept it wound out of habit more than a desire to know what time it was.

He turned to look at the time, only 10:38 am.

Instead of tossing and turning, Damon decided to get out of his bed. He was still wearing the white t-shirt and pair of black jeans from the night before, so he decided to change into some clean clothes. He was just as vain now as he always was. He sorted through his clothes and settled on a pair of blue jeans and a black t-shirt. He grabbed his black leather jacket and walked down the hall to the washroom, brushed his hair and walked down the stairs into the lounge, or these days they called it a livingroom.

Damon still wasn't sure what he was going to do today. He sat down on the couch to think.

His first thought was to the woman from this morning, the last 4 mornings.

He had ran into her in the town square 5 days ago. Normally he would just apologize and keep walking, but this time was different.

After bumping into him, she let out a strange gasp. He turned to look at her and she looked back, right into his eyes. He suddenly became thirsty, the urge to compel her was overwhelming. But hadn't he drank only a few hours before? The cute young lady from the park? So why was he thirsty again so soon? This mystery got stranger when he realized he couldn't compel her even though he tried as hard as he could.

She looked at him with a coy smile, like she knew him, like she knew what he was trying to do. No, that couldn't be, he had never met her before today. Then what was it?

By the time he realized he had been staring at her, she had turned her back and starting walking away. Suddenly he felt an overwhelming urge to follow her.

So as quietly as he could he followed her around. Eventually, it led Damon back to the woman's house. It was still the middle of the afternoon so he couldn't just hang around, people would get suspicious, so he had decided to go home and wait until nightfall.

And there he went for the past 4 evenings and into the next morning. Just watching, but not sure why.

She was just an average looking woman, nothing extraordinary about her. She was about five feet seven inches tall with medium long brown hair, which happened to be her natural color. She wore very little makeup and her clothes werent flashy. Damon did enjoy her curves though. They were alot like the hourglass shape he was so fond of. But other than that, he could not figure out why he was sitting outside in a tree every night since he bumped into her.  
He ran these thoughts through his head over and over until he had drove himself crazy. "I gotta get out of this house," he murmured to himself.

He got up off the couch and decided to go for a drive. He wasn't quite sure where yet, but he swore he wouldn't drive past the woman's house.

After an hour of driving through town and even outside of town, he ended up parking down the street from the woman's house.

It was sometime after noon, he thought, looking up into the sky.

"What am I doing here!" he said a little too loudly.

A man walking down the street looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

I must be losing my mind, Damon thought. This has got to be one of the strangest things I have ever done and I've done and seen alot of strange things.  
At this thought he let out a tiny chuckle. What could be stranger than being a vampire?

He decided to get out of his car. but wasn't sure where he was going yet. Was she even home? he wondered.

After walking around the block three times, he thought it might be a good idea if he got back into his car and go home, people were starting to stare.

As he came around the side where the entrance to her house was, she was coming out the door.

He was unsure what to do. Should he run and hide? Should he just slowly stroll by or what?

His hesitation was just long enough that she noticed him standing there.

She glanced over at him, looking him straight in the eyes again and uttered a surprised, "Oh, hi." and smiled at him.

Damon was once again stunned by her. He felt tongue tied and almost shy. No, I'm anything but shy, he thought. This is just stupid, she's just like every other woman I have met. What the hell is wrong with me?

The woman turned her head to let out a little giggle and then turned back to face Damon.

"Do I know you?," she asked him.

"I should be asking you that question?" Damon replied with an inquisitive look.

"I remember we bumped into each other a few days ago, but other than that," her voice trailed off as if she was hoping for him to finsh the sentence, but he didnt.

Damon was feeling so many things all at once he wasn't sure what was going on.

What he did know was, he had no clue who this woman was and why he was attracted to her. Or was attracted the right word?

"Excuse me?" she said. "I have to get to work or I'm going to be late. If you would like to talk to me, you could always meet me back here tonight when I'm done my shift?"

How odd, Damon thought to himself. When was the last time a woman was so forward with him and he didn't even compel her? I mean I'm not bad to look at but...

The woman interrupted him before he got to finish his thought, "Ok, I really need to go. If you want to meet me later, I should be back home by 9:15 tonight." She turned her back to Damon and walked to her car.

He was still standing there, with so many questions running through his head as she drove away. "I think after 145 years I have finally lost my mind."

It was the strangest encounter he could remember and he had had many.

He shook his head, walked back to his car and started to drive home.

As Damon approached the boarding house, he realized he had been so deep in thought, he was surprised he hadn't got into an accident.

He had taken the long way home with a few detours. By this time it was almost three p.m. His brother would be home from school soon.

Damon walked into the house and flopped himself onto the couch. He was exhausted. Not just physically because he hadn't slept that night, or the past few nights, but mentally as well. He didn't often have deep thoughts, unless they were about himself. After a minute he gave himself up to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 ~ Strange Encounter**

Stefan walked in the house to find his brother sleeping noisily on the couch.

He shook his head in disbelief. Why isn't he sleeping in his own room?

Stefan decided to leave him there. He was going to spend the evening with his girlfriend Elena and didn't have time for Damon or whatever he was up to lately. He just hoped that it wasn't something he would regret ignoring, with Damon one never knew.

Damon was roused from his sleep by a slamming door.

"Were you still sleeping?" asked Stefan as he walked in the room.

Damon looked around and realized it was dark already.

"What time is it?" he asked.

Damon never cares what time it is, thought Stefan. How strange.

"It's 5 minutes to 9," he replied, studying Damon's face in hopes of figuring out what he was up to.

"Damn, why didn't you wake me up sooner?"

Damon jumped up, grabbed his car keys and ran out the door before Stefan could utter another word.

Damon drove much too fast through town. He was very surprised he didn't get a speeding ticket.

When he arrived at the woman's house, her light was on. He assumed it must have been after 9:15.

He walked up to the door, brushed a bit at his dark hair and knocked on the door.

He waited for what seemed like an eternity to him before the woman answered the door. In reality, it was only 46 seconds.

She opened the door and said, "Hi, hold on a sec." Slipped on her shoes and stepped out the door.

Damon noticed she was wearing a red sweater, his favorite color. At this thought he licked his lips slightly.

"I'm sorry i can't invite you in right now, I don't know you well enough, she said while closing the door behind her.

Did she put emphasis on the words invite in? Damon wondered. Nah, I must be imagining things. I must really be going crazy, or maybe just paranoid.

He turned his head to face her and realized he didn't know what they were doing here.

"I hope you don't mind joining me for a couple drinks?" she asked, even though it sounded more like a statement than a question.

Damon definitely wouldn't pass up on drinks. Maybe he could figure out what was going on this way.

"Of course I don't mind. Where would you like to go?"

"I usually go to a little place just down the street from here. "You don't have any objection to walking, do you?" she asked in a sarcastic voice.

Damon rolled his eyes a little. "Show me the way."

She began to walk towards the north and Damon walked beside her, though a step behind her. They walked past a few houses, crossed the road and past a few businesses until they reached the bar. There were very few people on the street at this time.

Damon was quietly amused by how quickly she walked, though he wasn't quite sure why. He spent the entire walk to the bar, thinking and wondering.

I don't even know her name, he thought as they walked up to the doors.

He followed her in the bar and sat down at a table across from her.

The woman ordered them each a beer. Then turned to face Damon.

"My name is, Vella, in case you were wondering." she smirked.

Good, that was one mystery solved, he thought to himself, while taking a drink from his glass.

"I am Damon." he said while looking straight into her eyes.  
He was still trying to compel her, probe her, find out what exactly she was up to, but he still couldn't sense a thing.

"Nice to meet you properly, Damon. Normally I don't invite men I just meet to come with me to the bar, but you aren't exactly a normal man, are you?"

HUH? What does she mean? What does she know? These were all questions swimming through his head right now.

"No, I have never been accused of being normal," he answered sarcastically while rolling his eyes up a bit and letting out a tiny chuckle.

"I bet you have some questions for me, Damon. Feel free to ask me anything, unless you're unsure what to ask?"

This sounded more like a statement of fact, than a question to Damon. But it was a fact, wasn't it? He had no idea why he had been transfixed on her for the past 4 days. Did she know this? Did she know why or how? Did she know who he was? What he was? He really wasn't sure what to ask her without sounding crazy.

Vella knew what she was doing to him. She was playing with his head and enjoying it immensly. Damon had no idea what he had gotten himself into.

She just sat back, drinking her beer and watching him, waiting for him to say something.

Damon had decided what to do. He was going to get out of here, go home, forget about this woman and stay far away from her. At least that's what he knew he should do. But he couldn't do that. Damon Salvatore, didn't ever give up on anything this easy. If anything, he would at least find out that she was like any other woman to satisfy his curiosity. But did he really believe that?

Vella was having much more fun watching him squirm than she thought she would. She knew men like Damon. In fact, she knew Damon, sort of. She had been watching him since she saw him in the park months ago. Of course he didn't notice her then, she didn't want to be noticed then. She knew exactly who he was, what he was and she was ready for him now, ready for his help. But was she up to the task? That's what she worried about. Manipulating someone as manipulative as Damon, especially since he had many more years of experience could prove to be far beyond her abilities, but she had to try. Her life and maybe the lives of others hung in the balance. There wasn't any other way.

"Ok, I'm just going to come out with it." Damon started. "What is it you want with me?"

Damn, he was more perceptive than she figured. Time to change my strategy, she thought.

"You mean I can't see a handsome man and ask him out for drinks?" she said this with as much conviction as she could muster. If she couldn't believe it, how could he?

He definitely was handsome, he agreed. But that look. The inability to compel her, her tone, her everything, there was much more to her and he was determined to find out what it was, even if it killed him. At this thought he chuckled.

"Of course. But I believe there is more to this."

"I'm sure I can't be the first girl to ask you out. You definitely know how good looking you are."

Whoa, is she saying I am an egotist? Wait, I am.

"No, you aren't the first." he stated matter of factly.

He stared into her eyes again, hoping to be able to read her. She was very good at playing games, he thought. This could be fun for a change. I always enjoy playing with my food and she seemed like a worthy adversary.

At this thought he began to feel thirsty. He felt his face changing. but he couldn't let her see his 'vampire face'

"Excuse me, I need to use the restroom."

He got up from the table and hurried into the restroom.

He checked the two stalls just to be safe and then locked the door.

He splashed cold water in his face, hoping to cool down. He usually didn't have any problems controlling his instincts. But this woman was toying with him, like she knew him, knew which strings to pull. The last person who could make him lose control like this was Katherine.  
At this thought he got worried.

I need to leave, forget I met her. If I had done that with Katherine, my life would have turned out so differently. I have lived long enough to learn from my mistakes. At least that's what his instincts were telling him. But since when did he run from danger? How could she be dangerous any way? It's not like she's a vampire. It was the only thing he knew for sure.

As soon as he thought he could control his thirst, Damon, turned off the water, wiped his face dry with a paper towel and walked back to the table.

She was still there waiting and drinking. She had even ordered him another beer.

Damon sat back down and took a swig from the glass of beer.

"It's getting late for me and I don't normally drink more than two glasses," she stated to Damon. "Will you walk me home?" she paused. "When you're done your beer of course."

"It's okay, I'm not really thirsty anymore, Vella. Just let me pay and we can leave."

"I've already taken care of the bill so no worries. I'm the one who asked you out, it's the least I can do." she smiled what seemed like an innocent smile.

Damon wasn't quite sure what to say. He was used to being chivalrous, at least most of the time. She didn't seem like the kind to argue with and decided it would be easier to go along with it.

"Thank you. The least I can do is make sure you make it safely home," he said with his usual grin.

Damon held the door for her as they left the bar. It was just after 10 p.m.

Vella inhaled a deep breath and let it out. "I love the crisp evening air," she stated. "Though I love everything about the night."

Ok, this is getting very odd, Damon thought. Does she know what I am? Or am I really paranoid? Hmmm, maybe a little from column A and a little from column B, he figured.

He settled on lack of sleep as the reason he was feeling so crazy and left it at that. Though all this thinking was making him feel crazy. Maybe this is what his brother felt like?

It only took a couple minutes for Vella and Damon to walk back to her house.

While Vella fished in her purse for her house keys, Damon studied her from top to bottom. He still wasn't sure what this woman wanted but he didn't think she knew what she could be getting herself into.

When she finally found her keys, she turned around to face him. "Would you come and visit me again tomorrow?" she asked. "I promise to behave myself."

Damon wasn't sure at first he had heard her right, but she had a very coy grin and he had a feeling she knew he would come back, if nothing but out of sheer curiosity.

Trying to sound as nonchalant as possible he replied with a "Sure, what time is good for you?"

Vella looked up as if she was thinking. "How about in the morning? It doesn't matter what time, as long as it's after 7 a.m. I don't normally wake before that. Is that fine with you?

Damon agreed to a morning visit, bid her farewell and walked back to his car. Once again, the drive home was pretty much a blur. He realized after he had arrived home that he shouldn't have been driving after he had been drinking, but figured only one beer would be fine, for him any way.

When Damon walked in the house, he realized his brother Stefan had been waiting for him and he knew that look.

"What have you been up to tonight Damon?" Stefan asked. "Am I going to be hearing about it on the news?

Damon was already annoyed that his brother had been waiting for him, but now he was questioning him too. What was his problem?

"You wound me little brother. Didn't you ask me to leave you and Elena alone? I promised I would. So what's your problem?" Damon said with a look of malice.

Stefan tried to cover his obvious annoyance with his older brother. He knew how Damon would react if he wasn't careful.

"Yes Damon, I asked you to leave us alone, but I don't need you causing any trouble in town either."

"Would you like me to call home once an hour with a detailed explanation of how I spent the previous hour?" he replied with heavy sarcasm. Damon wouldn't put up with much more from his brother, he wasn't in the mood. "There won't be any stories of killing sprees, missing women or anything like that. At least that I was involved in. I had a date, nothing extraordinary, end of discussion." Which he said with finality.

Stefan was about to ask him more, but decided his brother was in no mood and he would leave it at that, for tonight.

Damon gave his brother a look of pure venom and went to his room. He realized how exhausted he suddenly was and laid down on his bed. The next thing he remembered was waking the next morning.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 ~ Strange Revelations**

Damon woke up and squinted towards the clock. It was 7:45 a.m.

He wondered when the last time he slept through the whole night was, since he's been a vampire that is.

He got up, sitting at the edge of his bed and stretched. Damon then realized he hadn't gotten undressed last night and was wearing the same clothes as yesterday. This was becoming a habit, he thought.

After looking through his clothes, he decided on his favorite pair of black jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt.

Damon was about to walk out of his room when he realized he should take his sunglasses with him, it was already bright outside. Out of habit, he glanced down quickly at his hand to make sure the ring that allowed him to be out in the sun was still on his finger and then walked down the hall to the bathroom.

After some careful primping and preening, he walked back down the hallway and down the stairs.

Damon noticed his brother wasn't up yet, or at least he wasn't waiting for him, which was good because he wasn't in the mood.

He realized he needed something to eat. Had he not eaten yesterday? No, he clearly remembered he hadn't. Now that was a first for him. No wonder he slept so well, he needed to find food. If he wasnt careful he could end up killing someone and he promised his brother he wouldn't do that anymore, at least in town.

Damon prefered to hunt at night, it was easier not to be spotted. But he didn't have a choice now. It was that or try Stefan's diet and he didn't think he could stomach that right now.

He grabbed his keys, ran out the door, jumped in his car and sped of towards town.

Damon hadn't gone too far down the road when he saw a woman at the side of the road. It looked like her car had a flat tire.

I couldn't have planned this better, Damon thought to himself.

He got out of his car and asked the woman if she needed help. She told him her tire was flat and she had a spare but she had no clue how to change it.

Being the gentlemen he was, he decided to help her with the flat first, he wasn't an animal.

Once he was done, he compelled her so he could have a drink without her knowing what was going on.

He drank just enough of her blood so she would only be a bit light headed, as if she had just donated blood, only this time it was for Damon, not a blood bank.

Damon then picked her up and laid her in the front seat of her car and locked the door.  
The woman would wake up in a little while not even remembering Damon had stopped to help her.

Damon got back into his car and continued driving into town. He felt good and strong and definitely not thirsty. Something told him it wouldnt be a good idea to visit Vella that way.

After parking his car, he walked to Vella's front door. He suddenly felt a rush of nerves, which was unlike him.

He nervously brushed at his hair with his hand, straightened up his jacket and knocked on the door.

This is getting stupid Damon, he thought. Get it together already! She's only a woman.

Once again he felt that the time between his knock and the time Vella opened the door was an eternity. In reality it was only 53 seconds.

She appeared at the door in a long purple robe and a pair of purple fuzzy slippers.

"Good morning, Damon," Vella said when she opened the door.

She then stood there looking at him with a smile on her face.

Damon wondered if she was waiting for him to make a move. He knew he couldn't just walk in without being invited. It also seemed to him that she knew this as well.

But how could she? he wondered.

"Good morning, Vella," Damon greeted her with his biggest and happiest looking smile he could muster, since he wasn't much of a morning person.. "How are you this morning?"

"I am fine, thank you," she replied. "If I invite you in, do you promise to behave?"

Hmmm, he thought. I don't break promises if I can help it. So do I really want to make a promise I probably can't keep?

"Of course," was his reply to her.

Vella stared into his eyes again, as if she was able to read them like a book.

"Okay, you can come in then," she said with a little trepidation. She knew what she was getting herself into and suddenly wondered if she had a death wish, or perhaps she had finally lost her mind.

Vella closed the door behind them and showed Damon into her livingroom.

He noticed she seemed to like purple. The walls were painted a pale lilac color. Her throw pillows and area rugs were all a pale purple as well.

Vella turned to him and said, "Make yourself at home. I have to go upstairs and finish getting dressed. There is some coffee in the kitchen if you would like some. It's the door ahead of you to the right."

With that, she left Damon and walked up the stairs to get changed.

Damon decided to go get a cup of coffee. He walked into the kitchen and looked around. The room was very bright and cheery. The walls were painted a lemon yellow and the cupboards were all white.

Damon spied the coffeemaker and walked over to it. There were two coffee cups waiting there.

He guessed that one was his.

Damon poured coffee into the cup, took some sugar from the sugar bowl and put it in his coffee, then sat down at the little table.

He scanned all around the kitchen, while listening intently around him. He wasn't sure who she was afterall. Who invites strange men into their home after only meeting them once?

Damon thought about the promise he made to Vella, not to misbehave. He wasn't sure he could do that but he would have to try. He didn't like to break any promise he ever made, even the one he made to his brother to leave Elena alone, even though it hurt him to leave her alone. She was the only woman who ever really understood him. Even his own brother didn't really understand him. He wasn't as cold and callous as he let on. There was a time when he only cared about himself, but that wasn't true anymore. Meeting Elena had changed that.

He was too deep in thought to even hear Vella come down the stairs and into the kitchen, even with his hearing.

"I hope the coffee isn't too strong for you, i don't like weak coffee,: she said as she walked into the kitchen.

Damon turned and smiled at her. "It's fine actually, thank you. I don't like weak coffee either."

Vella, walked over to the coffeemaker and poured herself a cup of coffee. She put some sugar in the cup and walked over to the fridge. She grabbed what looked like a small carton of cream and poured some into her coffee, put it back and shut the fridge.

Damon watched her intently. He needed to know what this woman wanted from him.

Vella walked over to the table and sat down across from Damon. She was trying to figure out what to say to him. Unlike her cool exterior, she was scared to death inside. She knew he could be selfish, self-centered and egotistical. In a man these traits are bad enough, but he wasn't just any man, he was a vampire and she needed his help.

Vella drank down her coffee as quickly as she could. Not because she needed the caffeine rush, but because of what she had put in it. Something to keep her safe just in case Damon didn't keep his word.

Damon watched her drinking her coffee in interest. He couldn't remember seeing anyone down a cup of coffee like that before.  
Maybe she was trying to sober up, he thought with a chuckle.

Vella fidgeted a bit in her seat, still trying to come up with a way to start the conversation. She was saved by Damon's impatience.

"So, are you finally going to tell me why you wanted me here?" Damon asked.  
Vella looked into his blue eyes. They reminded her of a pool of water in the moonlight.

"I know you have been following me and watching me," she started. "Why is that?"

"Following you?" Damon asked incredulously.

"Well haven't you?"

He had to admit he was, but this was her fault, wasn't it?

"I won't lie to you. Yes, I have been," he admitted. "But I assure you, I am no stalker."

Vella giggled. "I never said you were. If I thought you were, I wouldn't have invited you here, I would have called the police."

"Then why am I here, Vella?"

She couldn't keep toying with him, She didn't need him angry.

I just have to come right out and tell him. Or I'm never going to be able to.

Vella sighed, breathed in and out deeply a couple of times and looked straight into his eyes.

"I know what you are," she said when she finally spoke.

See! I knew it, Damon thought to himself. Wait a minute, what the hell?

"And what am I?" Damon asked with a mixed look of curiosity and surprise.

"You're a.....vampire." she said.

Damon was shocked by this statement. He knew he had thought it was a possibility, but he really hadn't believed that.

"A vampire?"

"Are you going to try and deny it, Damon?"

Damon screwed up his face into a sneer to mock her. "Are you telling me you believe in vampires?"

Vella snorted at this. "Well Damon, I only believe in things I have seen with my own eyes, so yes, I do believe in vampires."

Damon started to squirm a bit in his chair. If she really knew he was a vampire then she must know how to kill one or she wouldn't have felt safe inviting him in the house.

"Look," she started, "I don't want to play any more games with you. I got you here and that's all that matters to me."

Vella stood up quickly from her chair after this statement, turned around and walked in front of the big bay window that was behind her. She was so afraid at this moment she couldn't look at him right now and give it away. She wanted him to think she was tough, not scared out of her wits.

Damon was in shock and awe by her incredulous statement. For once in his life he didn't know what to say or do. He was definitely glad he had 'eaten' this morning. His hunch had been somewhat right.

He got up from his chair, walked over and stood right behind Vella so there was barely an inch of space between them.

Damon could sense her muscles tighten up and suck in a deep breath.

That was a good thing, she's scared, he thought. At least she's not insane.

Damon could feel her shaking now as he bent close to her ear and whispered, "Yes, I am a vampire, Vella."

Vella let out a little shudder, then took a deep breath and let it out.

She was afraid but she had to turn around and face him, look into his eyes, but she couldn't.

Damon lifted his right hand up and put it on her shoulder.

At this she nearly jumped, but turned around to face him instead.

Looking deep into his eyes she said, "Thank you, Mr. Salvatore. I thought I was going to have to pull teeth to get the truth from you."

At this they both let out a nervous laugh.

Damon backed up a couple of steps, apprehensive to stand too close to her. Not because he was afraid of her, but he was afraid what he might do to her. Vella was playing games with him and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. She knew what he was and even his name, so why did she pretend she didn't. And why was she toying with him?  
Normally he would put an end to the games, he only liked the ones he played. But he felt something about this woman, something that stopped him from even considering harming her. But what was it? The only person who had ever made him feel like that was, Elena.

Vella had been carefully watching Damon. She wanted to give him a chance to really comprehend what she had said before she said any more to him.

A minute had passed and still Damon hadn't moved, or spoke. She was about to ask him into the livingroom, she felt uncomfortable standing in front of the window where her neighbours could see, but the words wouldn't come out. So she just walked past him, out the door into the livingroom and sat down on the couch and waited for Damon nervously.

Damon wished there had been a door to the outside in the kitchen so he could just leave, he wanted to get far away. But his morbid curiosity kept him from just running out. Instead, he walked into the livingroom after Vella and sat down on an arm chair beside the couch facing her.

Vella was beginning to feel light headed and sick to her stomach. She wasn't feeling brave like she had been the night before. Too bad there was no going back. She felt that if she didn't say something soon she was going to vomit.

It seemed Damon was just going to sit there and wait for her to say something, after all, he had all the time in the world, didn't he?

"I can't be sure if I can trust you, Damon. So I hope you will understand what I am about to show you.," she said as bravely as she could.

Damon didn't hesitate, he wanted to know something, anything.

"I'm not going anywhere."

Vella reached down into the front of her shirt and pulled out what looked like a necklace.

Damon leaned in closer to take a good look, that's when he realized what it was.

Instantly he knew the answer to one of his questions.

The chain itself was ordinary, it was the pendant that was hanging on it that was of interest.

It was the kind of pendant one would wear to make sure vampires couldn't compel or influence you. It was a pendant filled with dried vervain flowers.

Vervain was a very potent flower, to vampires that is. You just needed to have some on you to keep them from influencing you.

"Vervain," Damon paused. "So I was right. You did know what I was trying to do to you the day we bumped ito each other in the town square."

Vella wasn't sure if that was a question or a statement of fact, but she thought she had better elaborate.

"Yes, Damon. I did realize it. But before you get worried that it was for your benefit only, I have been wearing this pendant since I was a young child."

Vella paused, unsure what to say and do next. But she figured she should be completely honest with him.

"The only reason I didn't invite you in last night was because I was in a rush that morning and forgot my usual dose of vervain in my coffee."

Damn was shocked by her admissions, but as usual he had to be sarcastic, he didn't want her to know how much she had gotten to him.

"Did you remember the garlic and wooden stakes too?" he asked sarcastically.

Vella let out a nervous laugh and smiled nervously. At least he was acting like himself, she thought.

"No, but I'm sure I could find a stake if i had too," she grinned. "But if I was really that worried, would I have asked you here?"

"Maybe you have a death wish. Or maybe you are some crazy chick who reads alot of books about the paranormal. Do you believe in ghosts too? How about werewolves?" he continued with the questions, "Are you looking to make a name for yourself or something?"

Damon was mocking her but she wasn't angry. At least he hadn't tried to snap her in two pieces.

"Are those really the questions you want to ask me?" she said when he finally stopped mocking her.

"Why don't you just tell me, Vella?" he pleaded. "What is it you're after?"

Vella wasn't about to tell him everything, he would just turn around and walk away and she couldn't allow that to happen. It was crazy but he was her only hope right now. But what could she tell him?

"I need your help with something, Damon. But first I need to know if I can trust you before I tell you anything. And the only way to find that out is to get to know you," she paused for a second before going on. "This is a matter of life or death to me, so I hope you can understand my hesitation."

Damon leaned back on his chair a bit so he could think. Was she in trouble or was she just being dramatic, he wondered.

He was feeling a mix of awe, annoyance and curiosity.

She went through all this, knowing that I'm not likely to help her, knowing how dangerous I can be and yet here I am, still standing here, he thought.

Damon was suddenly feeling some respect towards, Vella. He couldn't imagine what she would need him to help her with, but it must be important enough to risk her life.

Damon gave her a sly grin,"I'm not sure what help I could be to you, but I am curious and maybe a bit flattered."  
Vella's cheeks flushed a little when he said that.

He continued, "This is usually the kind of thing people ask Stefan to do."

"I realize that, Damon. But I really didn't want to involve too many people and it seems like your brother and his girlfriend, Elena are a package deal."

Well that was something Damon, could definitely agree with.

Damon sat and studied Vella for a moment before he spoke.

I can't promise to help you but something about you intrigues me, Vella." he gave her a flirty grin.

Vella blushed a little bit more at this. She felt a little better. At least he might help her. That's better than him walking out and never coming back.

"Thank you, Damon," she smiled, "I swear I will tell you everything soon. I just need to know you a bit better. You don't have any objections to that, do you?"

Damon figured he could at the least have fun with her. He didn't have to hide or pretend with her, she already knew most of his secrets.

"Okay, Vella. I'm game."

Vella let out a deep breath and relaxed a bit, then looked at her watch.

"Damn, I'm going to be late for work if I don't get out of here. Someone called in sick."

Damon stood up. "Okay, I will get out of here so you can finish getting ready." And he started to walk towards the front door.

"Wait, Damon," Vella said. "I will be off work around the same time as last night, "she paused, "If you would like to stop by."

Damon turned to face Vella, gave her a shrewd smile and said, "I might have time," as he walked out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 ~ Trust**

As Damon arrived home after his visit with Vella, he was greeted by his brother, Stefan's questioning looks.

He was really starting to get annoyed by this habit of his.

Damon decided to play it cool and just go to his room and pretend his brother didn't exist, he had wished that many times in his long lifetime so it wouldn't be a stretch.

Damon began walking up the stairs to his room when his brother called out his name.

Damon paused on the stairs, turned around and gave Stefan the evil eye, daring him to question him about his whereabouts again.

"I just wanted to apologize to you," said Stefan, "for my attitude the past two days."

Damon raised his eyebrow a bit at this statement.

"Are you saying you trust me now, little brother?"

Stefan squinted at his brother, "I don't know if I would go that far, but I haven't heard about any unexplained attacks lately so I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt."

Damon rolled his eyes, mumbled something to his brother under his breath and continued up the stairs to his room.

He decided he was going to have a nap, he wanted to be more alert when he went out later tonight.

When Damon awoke from his nap, the sun was just beginning to set.

He slowly got out of his bed and got dressed in some clean clothes and headed down the stairs into the kitchen.

He went to the fridge, grabbed a cold beer, making a mental note to pick more up soon and went into the livingroom to relax on the couch.

His brother, Stefan walked in the house a few minutes later, followed by his girlfriend, Elena.

They both greeted Damon and walked down the long corridor to the library in the rear of the old boarding house.

Damon assumed they were doing homework. He didn't feel like company right now any way.

He finished his beer and headed out the back door of the house. He wasn't sure what he was doing but he felt like going for a walk.

Damon walked through a path in the trees that had been there for as long as he could remember. It led to an old well that hasn't been used in years. But before he got there he sensed he wasn't alone.

Damon could suddenly feel the presence of another vampire and they were close, but before he could move they were gone again.

He ran as quick as he could all over the forest searching for this vampire, but he never found them.

Damon decided it would be best to head home and let Stefan know.

As soon as he told his brother, he decided it was time to head over to Vella's house.

He knew she wouldn't be home for another hour, but he wanted to watch over her house. Just in case, he told himself.

As Damon approached her house, he sensed the same vampire again, but by the time he parked his car and got out to look for it it was gone.

He walked over to sit in the tree he had used only two days ago to watch Vella from, it made a good vantage point.

As Damon sat watching Vella's house, he had a strange thought. Why hadn't I asked her where she works?

He felt uneasy just sitting in the tree not knowing where she was, though he wasn't sure why he felt that way.

Didn't she say she needed my help? Maybe this was why she knew so much about vampires. Maybe a vampire was after her, but why?

Damon started to smile at what he thought next. I'm more dangerous than any vampire Vella could know.

Before he finished his thought, he saw Vella pull her car into her driveway.

He stayed in the tree until she was in her house with the door closed. This way he knew she was safe. No vampire could get into her house without being invited in first.

Damon climbed down the tree, walked across the street and stood in front of her front door.

He was about to knock when he decided to just walk in.

Vella turned her head and smiled at Damon as he walked in the door. She wasn't surprised to see him walk in, which surprised Damon.

"So what would you like to do tonight?" she asked him. "Do you want to go out and do something fun?"

Damon was about to say yes, but he remembered what he had sensed tonight and thought better of it.

"Nah, I would rather stay in, just the two of us," he said as he gave her one of his mischievous smiles.

"That's fine with me. But I'm not going to stay up too late tonight. I hope that's okay with you?"

"Do you have to work early again?" Damon asked her.

"No, I have tomorrow and Saturday off. But a friend from work is having a party tomorrow night and I need to rest up," she paused then asked, "Would you like to come with me, Damon?"

Damon didn't think going to a big party was a great idea, but he couldn't let her go alone. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't want anything to happen to her.

Geez, Damon, you're getting soft in your old age, he thought to himself.

"Sure, just let me know when and I'll be here."

Damon and Vella began to make small talk, while she made herself a snack. It seemed that both of them were beginning to be comfortable around each other. They talked about Vella's job, she was a nurse at the hospital. They talked about Damon and some of the interesting things he had seen over the years.

When Vella was done eating her snack of a bowl of cereal and a banana, they went in the livingroom, sat beside each other on the couch and turned on the tv. They weren't really watching, but the noise filled in some of the uncomfortable silences at times.

Damon had to admit to himself he really enjoyed Vella's company.

It wasn't long before Vella began dozing off, so Damon picked her up and carried her up to her room, gently put her in her bed and covered her up.

As he was about to leave he heard her whisper, "Thank you."

Instead of going home, Damon decided to stay at her house. He could go home in the morning and go to sleep.

He found some blankets and a pillow in the linen closet in the upstairs hallway and brought them down into the livingroom and threw them on the couch. Damon didn't plan on sleeping but he was feeling a bit sleepy, or was it hungry maybe?

He got comfortable on the couch, flipped the channel on the tv to a bad movie and fell asleep almost instantly.

Vella woke up the next morning with the sun shining in her eyes. She had forgotten to close the curtains the night before.

It took her a minute until she realized what must have happened. She practically jumped right out of her bed, then looked around.

Vella was still wearing the clothes she was in last night, so Damon must have put her in her bed. At least that's what she figured.

She hurriedly found an old pair of sweat pants and a sweat shirt to change in to and then went to the washroom to brush her teeth and hair and wash her face.

Maybe I can trust him, Vella thought.

As Vella walked down the stairs and the livingroom came in to sight, she got a shock. There was Damon, fast asleep on her couch.

She had to snicker when she saw he was wrapped in her pink comforter.

Vella was going to wake him up, but instead figured she would just go through her morning routine and let him sleep, she didn't know if he was grumpy in the morning.

She went out on her front step, picked up the newspaper and brought it into the kichen. She then made a pot of coffee and some toast, which she ate while reading the newspaper.

A story on the front page almost made her spit out the mouthful of coffee she had just taken.

The headline read, _Two campers attacked by a wild animal_.

Vella quickly scanned the article to see if her hunch was right.

She suddenly felt sick to her stomach. It has to be a vampire, she thought.

Vella didn't think it was Damon, he was obviously here last night when it happened, but she almost wished it was him, then she wouldn't be so petrified.

She was so lost in thought she didnt notice when Damon walked into the kitchen. It had startled her so much she dropped her coffee cup on the floor, where it broke into a few pieces.

Vella covered her face with both her hands and was breathing quick, shallow breaths.

"I'm so sorry, Vella," Damon said apologetically. "I didn't mean to startle you like that."

"You didn't startle me, Damon. I'm just not awake yet," she lied.

Damon stared at her shrewdly, he knew she was hiding something.

"I thought we had come a long way last night, Vella," said Damon. "I thought you trusted me...at least a little."

Vella looked at him and opened her mouth and then quickly shut it again. She didn't want to lie to him but she didn't want to tell him the whole truth either.

"You startled me, but it wasn't you I was scared of. It was a story in the newspaper I was reading."

Vella got up from her chair and grabbed her little vacuum cleaner she kept in a tall cupboard in her kitchen. She was happy she had already finished drinking her coffee or it would have been a bigger mess to clean up.

After cleaning up the broken shards of her cup, Vella grabbed another cup of coffee and sat down at the table with Damon. He had got himself a coffee as well. Her stomach was still doing flip flops, so she didn't finish eating her toast. Instead she turned the newspaper to the comics. She needed a laugh right about now.

Damon was sitting sipping his coffee and studying Vella's face. He had read the front page of the paper while she was cleaning up the broken cup, so he knew why she was rattled. He just wished she would tell him what was going on, but he didn't want to push her.

Vella looked up from the newspaper towards Damon and smiled.

"Thank you, by the way. For putting me into my bed last night." She added, "And behaving yourself."

Damon looked at her with a smile and winked. "A promise is a promise."

Vella started snickering. He sure could be cute when he wanted to be. She needed to be more careful.

"I will be back in a few minutes, Damon. I need to have a bath and get some better clothes on."

With that she left the kitchen without giving Damon a chance to respond.

After having a bath, getting dressed and putting some make up on, she came downstairs to find Damon washing her dishes.

Oh this is just too much, she thought.

"You know Damon, if you keep doing nice things for me, I might get used to it," she said sarcastically and laughed.

Damon turned and laughed a mocking laugh, "Ha, ha, ha."

"Thank you, Damon."

"I was just bored, don't get used to it."

Vella stuck out her tongue playfully, pretending to be offended and said' "Fine!"

All Damon could do was smile at her. He hadn't known anyone who was so comfortable being with him in a very long time and he was enjoying it.

She seemed to be melting the layer of ice Damon had on his cold, dead heart.

After Damon, finished the dishes, Vella put them away where they belonged and they both went into the livingroom and sat on the couch.

They sat there for a minute just looking into each other's eyes.

It was Damon, who spoke first.

"When are you going to tell me what it is you need my help with?"

"I told you I needed to know if I could trust you first," she answered.

"Do you trust me?" he asked her.

Vella pondered this for a moment before speaking. "I think I actually do, and I can prove it to you."

Damon looked bewildered. He wondered what she had in mind that could convince him.

He watched as she reached into her shirt, pulled out her necklace with the vervain pendant, took it off and laid it gently on the side table beside her.

Damon didn't know what to do. Was this a test?

"I trust you enough to take off my necklace in your presence," was all Vella said.

Damon moved closer to her without taking his eyes off of hers. He looked deep into them and looked for any sign of distrust but didn't find any. Instead, he felt something inside him stirring, something he hadn't felt for awhile.

Vella reached out and touched her hand to the side of his face. She never once took her eyes off of his. She wasn't even afraid of him, even though she knew she should be terrified.

Damon reached out with both of his hands and touched either side of her face, while never taking his eyes off of hers.

"You are the first person in a long time to trust me like this," Damon declared.

"I don't know why, Damon, but I feel that I can trust you."

Damon wasn't sure why she trusted him either, but most of all, he couldn't understand why he didn't want to hurt her. Instead he felt an overwhelming urge to protect her.

He was thirsty, he knew he could compel her right now if he wanted to. He even noticed that she had not taken her dose of vervain in her coffee this morning. He could definitely take her right here and now and she couldn't do anything to stop him. But he wouldn't, or was that, couldn't?

Damon and Vella dropped their hands at about the same time, which made them laugh nervously.

Vella was shaking so much on the inside, but she knew it wasn't from fear this time.

"I will make the promise this time, Damon," she said. "I will tell you everything very soon. But first, I want to have a good time at this party tonight."

It might be my last, she thought.

They both sat on the couch not knowing what to say.

As was Vella's habit, she checked her watch. She had had plans today to buy a new dress for tonight and it was getting late.

She explained about having to go shopping, which Damon, definitely did not want to do with her.

Damon got up from the couch, grabbed her necklace and put it back around her neck.

He winked and said, "Don't forget this. It's a crazy world."

Vella gave Damon a thank you smile and said, "I will be ready at 8 tonight."

With that, Damon bid her goodbye and walked out of her house. He didn't go far though, until he saw her car drive safely away.

With all the thoughts running through his head he had forgotten how thirsty he was.

Damon decided he had better find something to eat before the party tonight.

With that thought, he left in search of someone to quench his thirst before going home.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 ~ The Party

Damon had realized when he got home that he had no clean clothes. He had been too preoccupied the past week to do any and it was obvious his brother hadn't thought to check his hamper, which annoyed him. Stefan was a little bit of a neat freak and Damon definitely was not.

On occassion, Damon had even found Stefan folding the clothes Damon had left in the basket in his room. But not as much lately.

He figured he had better do his laundry so he had something decent to wear for the party tonight.

Damon had just finished drying his laundry when Stefan walked in the door.

"Damon!" yelled Stefan.

It sounded like Stefan was pretty angry, so Damon went down to see what he wanted. He just hoped this wasn't another inquisition.

As soon as Damon came into Stefan's line of sight, he began to question Damon.

"Where were you last night and what were you doing?"

"Why?" demanded Damon. "Because of the newspaper article?"

"Yes, that's exactly why, brother." Stefan emphasized the word brother.

"I didn't do that. I told you about the vampire I sensed last night, that must of been who killed those people. I told you you could trust me."

Damon was seething. How dare his brother accuse him of not just one, but two murders on the same night. He hadn't done anything like that in a very long time.

"And how do I know that this wasn't just a cover up?" inquired Stefan.

Damon grabbed a hold of his brother by his shoulder and looked into his eyes with a menacing look.

"I'm going to tell you this once and only once. I did not hurt anyone last night. I spent the night over at a friend's house."

Stefan pushed his brother's arm away from him but just stood and stared at him pondering whether Damon was telling the truth. He wanted to believe it, he really did.

"Would you like to meet my friend yourself, Stefan?" Damon asked, his eyes glinting with venom. "She will tell you where I was."

"No, Damon. It will take more than that to persuade me. I know you can just compel some stranger into giving you an alibi."

Damon was so angry now he could see red, but he had made a promise to Elena a long time ago that he wouldn't hurt his brother.

He took a couple steps back before speaking. "Not that it's any of your business brother, but she always wears a vervain pendant around her neck, so I really highly doubt that it would be that easy for me to compel her."

Stefan was so taken aback by this knowledge he was rendered speechless.

Damon watched his brother ponder that revelation for a minute before he spoke again.

"If you really must know brother, I am going to a party with her tonight," Damon said while glaring at his brother. "You can follow me if you must, just don't spoil her good time, or I might not be so forgiving."

With that, Damon turned his back to his brother and walked up the stairs with his laundry into his room.

Vella arrived home from running her errands in the late afternoon. She had run all across town searching for the prefect dress for the party, which she now had in her possession. Now that she was home she began to get nervous. Why did I ask Damon to accompany me, she thought to herself.

Instead of dwelling on her thoughts, she ran around getting ready for the party. After getting dressed and putting her make up on, Vella had to check her hair. She had went to the hair salon to get an updo for the party. Her usual long, straight hair was now up in a mass of curls, bobby pins and hair spray. She went to her jewellery box to look for some different earrings and a dressy watch. She absent mindedly ran her hands around the pendant around her neck.  
This doesn't exactly go with this dress, Vella thought.

She took the pendant off and laid it on her nightstand. After all, she had a bodyguard tonight.

Vella killed time until 8 p.m. She had expected that Damon would show up on time or even earlier but he didn't.

Each minute that ticked by with no sign of Damon just made Vella feel more nervous.

Finally at 8:23 he showed up at the door apologizing profusely for being late.

"It's okay, Damon. I just thought you might have changed your mind, " Vella said.

Damon gave her a playful smile. "I couldn't miss out on going to a party with such a beautiful woman."

Vella blushed a little and turned away. She wasn't sure inviting him to the party was such a great idea, but she was committed now.

She decided not to ask about the reason for his tardiness. That could wait until later.

Damon offered to drive her to the party instead of taking separate cars. She planned on drinking and didn't want to drive so she took him up on his offer.

The closer they got to the party, the more nervous she got. She was trying not to fidget in her seat, but she couldn't help herself.

Vella wasn't exactly sure what was bothering her more, going with Damon and hoping he behaved or worrying that someone, or something would be there. She didn't care how terrified she was because she was bound and determined to enjoy this party, knowing that it would probably be the last one she would ever attend. She had to admit to herself however, that Damon cleaned up very nicely. In fact, he looked down right sexy. At this thought, Vella blushed a little.

Damon turned his head towards her a little when she blushed as if he could read her thoughts, but she knew he couldn't.

It was actually the rush of blood to her face that Damon could sense. He wasn't hungry. He had made sure to eat since he would be around a lot of people. He assumed she was blushing about him. Damon knew he looked good tonight, but he had to admit Vella looked very, very good. He loved that her hair was up so he could see her neck. He could see the very fine veins that were underneath the skin of Vella's neck. He could hear the blood rushing and she smelled intoxicating.

Suddenly, he began to feel his teeth and his face change.

He did his best to relax quickly and was glad Vella hadn't noticed what had happened

Dammit, Damon. You need to stop thinking like that, he chastised himself.

Damon and Vella managed to arrive at the party all in one piece.

Vella was even amazed at how much of a gentleman he was being.

They entered the party and Vella was immediately bombarded by her friends. All the ladies seemed to be smitten with her date and Damon didn't seem to mind that a bit. But before she could get swept away from him, he whispered in her ear. "I will be keeping my eyes on you Vella, so have fun. And yes, I will behave as long as you are safe."

Vella smiled at Damon and went off with her friends.

Vella was having a great time. She danced to all the fast songs with her friends and Damon. She was drinking more than she had planned though.

Damon tried having a good time, but he sensed trouble. With all the people around it was hard to say whether it was a vampire or not. He never once took his eye's off of Vella no matter where she went, until she went to the washroom, but he did follow her to make sure she would be safe.

When Vella's favorite slow song of all time came on, she made Damon dance with her. She was surprised at how well he danced and how good it felt being in his arms.

Damon enjoyed dancing with Vella, a little too much. Being so close to her neck was making him thirsty. If he hadn't already eaten he might have had a harder time controlling his impulses.

After their dance was over, Damon made her promise not to go anywhere, he needed to step outside for a minute.

He needed to get some fresh air, but away from anyone else. He found a quiet place in the back of the building.

Damon wasn't there long when he got a really bad feeling.

"Damon," yelled someone from behind him.

He turned around to find his brother standing across the parking lot.

"Stefan, I need to go back in and find my friend," Damon said as he rushed back in to the dance.

When Damon went back into the building, he couldn't find Vella anywhere. On a hunch, he went out the front of the building and found her, but she wasn't alone.

Damon immediately knew it was the vampire he had been sensing.

The vampire was staring in Vella's eyes.

Damon didn't even pause long enough to think. He ran as fast as he could over to Vella. He was going to make that vampire pay. But instead of fighting with Damon, he dropped Vella and ran off.

Damon caught Vella before she hit the ground, she seemed to be dazed.  
He patted her face with his hand. "Vella, wake up, please" he pleaded with her.

Stefan came around the corner to see what the commotion was. he had sensed another vampire as well. He was a little suspicious when he saw Damon holding Vella.

"Did you see that vampire?" Damon asked Stefan.

"No, but I felt him," he replied while scanning the area. "Is she okay?

Damon wanted to say yes, but he wasn't sure. He hadn't noticed she wasn't wearing her necklace tonight, this could be bad.

Vella was drunk and under this vampire's influence. If Damon believed in a God he would have prayed for her.

"I have to get her home, Stefan."

"I'm going to come with you."

Damon was too panicked to disagree with him.

The brothers gently carried Vella, to Damon's car and headed towards Vella's house.

On the way there, Stefan asked what was going on, but Damon had to admit he had no idea.

When they arrived at her house, Stefan helped Damon only to the front step, since he hadn't been invited in, then left in search of the rogue vampire's whereabouts. He promised to check in with his brother as soon as he found out something.

Damon carried Vella and placed her gently in her bed. He thought she looked uncomfortable with all the pins in her hair, so he proceeded to take them all out. When he was done, he pulled the blankets over her and laid on top of the covers on the other side of her.

Damon kept watch over her all night.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 ~ Truth and Secrets

When Vella awoke the next morning, she was surprised to find Damon in her bed.

She tried to recall what had happened the night before, but the last thing she remembered was slow dancing with Damon. A million different possibilities ran through her mind, each worst than the last. As Vella rolled over to face Damon, she realized she was still dressed, which she was relieved about.

Damon felt her movement and opened his eyes immediately. He hadn't really been sleeping soundly, he had been too worried about Vella for that.

"Well good morning, sunshine," Damon said with a relieved smile.

"Good morning, Damon," Vella mumbled.  
She was feeling a mix of light-headedness and weakness and almost passed out when she spoke.

Damon was worried when he spoke. "Vella, just lay in bed and don't move around."

Vella opened her mouth to speak, but Damon put his finger on her lips and said, "Shh."

She wasn't sure what was going on, but she complied with his wishes. She was too tired to fight. With that thought she fell back asleep.

Damon frowned even though he was relieved to know she was okay, at least for the moment. He hadn't really slept at all during the night with all the questions running through his head. What exactly has she gotten herself into? he wondered.

Damon went downstairs and put on a pot of coffee, he was going to need it and if Vella were to wake up again, she would need it too.

It wasn't more than a few minutes later when he heard a rapping at the front door, it was Stefan.

Since Damon couldn't invite his brother in, he had to go outside to talk to him.

Stefan didn't have much to report. He lost the vampire and never found him, even though he searched all night.

Damon was disappointed in this information, but not completely surprised. His brother was not as fast as he was and when a vampire wanted to hide, he could make himself almost impossible to find.

Stefan began to ask Damon questions about Vella, but Damon wasn't in the mood to answer any of them. He wanted to go back into the house to be with her when she woke up. He didn't want her to hurt herself if she woke up alone.

"I promise to tell you what I know as soon as I know it," then Damon added. "Or at least, what you need to know."

And with that, Damon thanked his brother for his help and bid him goodbye.

It was much later in the day when Vella finally woke up again. Damon had to help her to sit up in the bed. He propped her up in the bed and made her promise not to move even an inch.

Vella didn't argue at this, she felt too sick and out of sorts to disagree with him.

When Damon got back to her room, he had brought a tray covered with food and drinks. He wasn't quite sure what she would need since it had been a long time since he needed food and drink to survive.

The tray had plain toast, crackers, some fruit. a cup of coffee and a glass of water, which he set next to her on the nightstand.

Vella was so grateful for the help, but she really didn't want anything. She accepted the glass of water with a smile.

For a long while, Damon and Vella just sat in the bed not saying anything. It was Vella who spoke first.

"What happened last night, Damon?" she asked quietly.

"What is the last thing you remember, Vella?"

"I, uh, um," she stammered. "The last thing I remember is dancing with you."

Damon wasn't sure what to tell her. He didn't want to upset her right now, she needed to fully recover first.

"I promise to tell you when you are feeling better," he said after much thought. "For now, I want you to make me a promise. Promise me you will rest as much as you can and not argue with me?"

Vella reluctantly agreed to that promise, but only because she felt too tired to argue with Damon.

For the rest of the day and night, Damon watched over Vella and made sure she kept her promise. But he found she did little more than sleep.

It was early the next morning before Vella was actually able to get out of bed, with Damon's help. All she felt like doing was having a shower. Damon's response was the only way he would let her shower was to have one with her. That didn't go over well with Vella at all, so she decided to ask him to run her a bath instead. Damon wanted to stay in the room to make sure she would be okay, but he had a feeling she could handle a bath, so he waited outside for her.

After Vella had bathed and gotten dressed, Damon helped her down into the kitchen. He made her a breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast and fruit.

Vella ate as much as she could stomach because she was famished. She wasn't feeling one hundred percent quite yet, but she was feeling much better. She was quite shocked at how well Damon had been taking care of her. She really wondered why he was doing this. Did he really care? Or was he feeling guilty for not being able to protect her?

A few hours later, Stefan stopped by to see how Vella was. She invited him in, but he didn't stay long. He was just happy to know Vella was okay and that his brother had been behaving himself.

By the time the sun began to set that day, Vella was feeling more like herself. It was time to plead with Damon to tell her about Friday night.

Damon gave Vella a serious look. He made her promise to tell him what was going on with her, if he told her about Friday night.

Vella had to think about it, but she reluctantly agreed. She knew he needed to know and now was the time.

Damon told her everything that had happened during the party and what happened after they left. He was surprised by Vella's nonchalant attitude at the mention of a vampire attacking her.

After Damon was done explaining, he sat back and waited for Vella to talk.

Vella got up off the couch and started pacing. She then sat back down on the couch but only on the edge of it.

Damon slid closer to her, put both of his hands on either of her shoulders and looked straight into Vella's eyes to help calm her down.

Vella fought against it, but soon gave up. All he wanted to do was help her calm down. She would rather feel calm than jumping out of her skin.

Vella leaned back on the couch and looked at Damon with a resigned look. She wasn't quite sure where to start.

"I already told you I needed help. And now that I can trust you, I will tell you why and how," she started. "But first, I want to tell you what my plan for you was...in the beginning."

At this last statement, Damon, smirked a little.

Vella started to shake a little again, but Damon rested his hand on her knee and it calmed her down.

"There were two possible outcomes, Damon. Either I would be able to convince you to help me or...."

"Or what?" Damon prompted her.

"Or, I was going to convince you to change me into a vampire."

Damon was startled by her admission. "Are you serious?"

"Completely serious, Damon."

Vella eyes told him she wasn't lying. But why would she want this kind of life when she knew what it was about?

"It's a very long story." she looked down and closed her eyes, trying to keep away the tears.

Damon grabbed her hand and squeezed, hoping that the support would help.

"While this all started about 125 years ago, my part in it started about eight years ago, when I was 17"

Damon found the 125 years ago part very curious and worrisome at the same time. He remembered only too well what being a vampire in that time was like.

All the pain Vella had been holding back for years suddenly came to the surface and she couldn't control the tears.

Damon put his arms around her and pulled Vella close to him.

Vella's cries soon became gentle sobbing and she was able to go on.

"I had a fight with my parent's that evening. I was 17, nothing unusual. But I was angry so I took off for awhile," Vella said choking back some tears and sobs.

"I came back later that night, it was around 11 p.m. The front door was wide open, which was unusual for my parents, especially at 11 p.m."

Vella took a few deep breathes, and wiped her eyes before going on again.

"I was scared, so I went to the livingroom window and looked in. There was a man and a woman who were arguing with my parents. I didn't know that they were vampires at that time, but they were."

Vella started to hyperventilate a little, but Damon calmed her down by stroking her hair and whispering, "It's ok."

Eventually she was able to go on.

"I couldn't hear what they were fighting about, but they were really angry. My mother must have said or done something they didn't like because the male vampire attacked my father, he was dead before he hit the ground. I was so paralysed by fear, I couldn't even move or scream."

Tears were now coming down Vella's cheeks like a river, but the sobs had slowed down.

"My little sister must have heard the noise because she came out of her room. The next part is kind of a blur, but the female vampire grabbed my sister and the male attacked my mother. And the last thing I remember is waking up in the hospital."

Vella was relieved to finally be able to tell someone about her grisly past. She stayed in Damon's arms for a little while, enjoying the comfort.

Damon still had questions. He was hoping she had the answers to them.

"Do you know why the vampires attacked your family?"

Vella thought for a minute, but she wasn't entirely sure. "All i can tell you is that my mom was a witch, but not just any witch."

Damon wondered what she meant by that.

"She wanted to train me, teach me to be a witch since I was about 12, but I never had any interest in it, now I wish I had," Vella said regretfully.

"My mom was always meeting with various people in the town, like the mayor and the town sheriff. Many of them were descendants of the town founders. I never really heard what they discussed but it had something to do with vampires and something about 125 years ago."

"But what did the vampires want with her, Vella?" Damon asked bluntly.

"I wish I knew," she answered sadly. "All I know is what I've been told by the Founder's Council."

"Then what does this have to do with you?" Damon wondered.

"I don't know," she replied. "But a few months ago I got a letter in the mail. Let me show it to you."  
Vella walked to the little desk by the front door where she kept her mail, pulled out a creased envelope and handed it to Damon.

Damon opened up the letter. It read, "We are coming to do to you what we did to your family unless we get what we want. Just give us your mom's stuff, that's all we want. If you don't cooperate you will end up dead.....or worse than dead." Dead had been underlined in blood.

Suddenly, Damon realized how much trouble Vella was in and why she would go to such lengths to get his help. He was so angry right now he didn't know what to do with himself. His anger was quickly replaced by an overwhelming feeling to protect Vella. Even when Damon was at his most violent and evil, he had never decimated a family, especially in front of children. These were the worst kind of vampire.

Vella was emotionally drained. She hadn't talked about her past in a very long time. In fact, she never really thought about it anymore either, not until she had received that letter.

She sat back down on the couch, letting the tears drop down her face, wondering what she was going to do.

Damon came over, sat beside her, grabbed her hand and made her look into his eye's.

"I will swear this to you now Vella," he said in a forbidding voice. "I will help you in any way I can, except for one."

"And what is that?"

"I won't turn you into a vampire. I care about you enough that I wouldn't condemn you to this kind of life," he answered with a tone of finality.

Vella took that as her cue to relax. She cuddled up with Damon and was soon fast asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 ~ Dangerous Distraction

Vella woke up a few hours later. It took her a few moments to realize where she was and with whom.

As Vella wiggled around a bit to get more comfortable, she woke up Damon.

They both looked in each other's eyes for a moment and then Damon carefully kissed Vella on the forehead.

Vella could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks, she knew she was blushing but couldn't stop. She hoped deep down that Damon couldn't see her blush in the dark, but she knew he could. After all, he was a creature of the night.

Damon was just as surprised by the kiss on the forehead as Vella was. He wasn't quite sure what possessed him to do it. He had never really felt what he was feeling right now with anyone before, even Katherine. He could feel the defenses he spent many lifetimes building up, beginning to come down and he was more than a little frightened.

When the two of them would later reflect on what happened, neither would remember who began kissing who or if it was both of them at the same time.

What began as gentle kissing, soon became very passionate. Damon carried Vella upstairs into her room and gently laid her on the bed. What began as kissing ended with them naked in the bed together.

After what seemed like hours later, Vella was laying in Damon's arms feeling euphoric but confused. She was trying to make sense of what had just happened. It was nothing she had ever expected would happen between them.

Damon held Vella, while absent mindedly stroking her hair. He was also trying to make sense of what he had just done. It wasn't like he hadn't ever slept with someone before, but since he had been with Katherine, it had only been for his amusement or some sick, twisted, sadistic way to control someone. This, however, was like nothing he had ever felt towards anyone before.

The sun was barely beginning to come up through the curtains before either of them spoke.

"Damon? " Vella asked in a whisper.

Damon lifted Vella's head gently by her chin, so he could look into her eyes. "Yes, Vella?"

Vella suddenly felt her stomach doing flip flops. She opened her mouth and hoped something would come out.

"Are we still being honest with each other?" she asked him.

"Of course," Damon answered without hesitation. "Why?"

"What is this? Us? Is there an....us?"

Damon wasn't surprised by the question, but he wasn't quite sure of the answer himself.

"I'm not sure what to say, Vella. I have never felt like this for anyone before. I'm not even sure what this feeling is," he said with a furrowed brow.

Vella was glad he was at least being truthful, even if she was a little upset by his answer. But at the same time, she thought it might be for the best. She had to keep reminding herself he was a vampire, no matter how sexy he was.  
With that thought, her hand automatically went to the necklace around her neck, which she didn't even realize she had on. At least she knew she wasn't being influenced to feel what she was feeling.

"How would you know, Damon?" Vella asked.

Damon knew the answer to this question but he wanted to think of a way to carefully word it.

"There is a way, but I don't think I'm willing to go that far, Vella," he said with a worrisome look on his face.

Vella almost felt like she had been slapped in the face. Tears began to form in her eyes even though she tried hard to hold them.

Why am I so emotional lately? This is not like me at all.

Damon gave her an apologetic smile and wiped at her eyes gently. "Vella, I don't want to hurt you. I hope you can see that."

"I'm sorry, Damon, but I don't understand."

Damon didn't want to tell her. He knew it wasn't right, but he couldn't lie to her, keep this from her or most of all, hurt her, he just couldn't hurt her. But could he resist the temptation?

"The only way is to share blood," Damon said.

Vella looked at him in surprise, she wasn't sure she had heard him right.

Damon went on to explain,"If we share blood, I will feel closer to you. And you will feel closer to me."

Vella looked at him incredulousy as if she didn't believe him.

"I will be honest with you, Vella." Damon started. "I haven't done that in a very long time, I mean for this reason, and never thought I would ever again..."

Vella felt a mix of sadness and pity at his admission, but she would never admit it. Before she realized what she was saying, she told Damon she wanted to do it, if he was willing.

Damon looked deep inside himself to see if he could go through with it. But after much reflection, he couldn't say no, he wanted to be with her in the most intimate way he knew. All he worried about was hurting Vella, or worse, killing her.

Vella looked a little frightened. She wasn't quite sure what to expect, but she knew Damon wouldn't hurt her purposely, he promised her.

Damon laid next to her on the bed and looked deep into her eyes. He wanted to make sure she wanted this.

Damon told Vella she needed to take her necklace off, which she hastily took off and threw onto her nightstand.

"Look at me, Vella," Damon pleaded with her. "You must be totally sure this is what you want. If I bite you and you resist it will be very painful"

Vella felt a jolt of fear course through her body at this news.

"I'm afraid though, Vella. Afraid to hurt you, to take too much blood from you, I am a little hungry" Damon admitted to her.

"Look into my eyes, Damon. Look for the truth. I trust you, fully and completely."  
Damon looked into her eyes. He could see she had a fear but it was a fear of the unknown, she wasn't afraid of him at all. This made him relax a little.

Damon leaned in to kiss her neck and she shuddered a little, but she was still relaxed. As he pierced her neck with his fangs he felt her whole body shudder, but she didn't fight him off. He stopped for a minute and bit his own wrist, until the blood was flowing enough. Damon offered his wrist up to Vella's mouth, which she took without hesitation and he went back to suckling on her neck.

Vella was feeling something more than she could ever have imagined. She felt so close to Damon right now. It was like he had dropped all of his defenses and let her in. Like they were joined mind, body and soul. It was almost more euphoric for Vella, than the night they had just spent together. She think she knew exactly how he really felt towards her, but was it strong enough. Strangely enough, it also seemed to be stirring memories from her past that she didn't even know existed or wanted to remember, but she wanted to forget those right now and focus only on Damon and herself, so she pushed everything else out of her mind.

Damon couldn't believe how delicious Vella tasted, like nothing he had ever tasted before, almost heavenly. He could feel Vella breaking through his defenses but he didn't care anymore, his mind was free like it never had been before. He knew he loved her and trusted her, that was the best feeling of all. He had never truly had that with anyone, ever.

Damon had to stop himself from wanting more. If he wasn't careful he could take too much blood and kill her. And even more worrisome, was he imagined she had enough of his blood inside her that she would change into a vampire, if she died. He swore he wouldn't let that happen.

When Damon pulled away from Vella's neck, all that was visible was what looked like two tiny little pin pricks. He was happy he hadn't been too forceful and left a bruise, he wasn't really used to being too gentle.

Afterwards, Damon and Vella laid in each other's arms for awhile just enjoying each other's company, until Vella's phone rang.

It was the hospital, wondering if she was feeling well enough to come in for her shift that afternoon.

"I have to go in Damon, I missed the past two days as it is," Vella told him after she hung up the phone.

Damon didn't want to let her out of his sight. He was sure the vampire, or maybe even vampires would still be close by.

After much discussion, Damon agreed, albeit reluctantly, to let her go. He didn't want to control her life, but he wasn't about to let her go that easy. He intended on keeping a close eye on her. Vella was much more stubborn than he had previously thought.

Vella got home that night at 8:15, an hour earlier than usual. She had been feeling faint, so she asked to go home early. She hoped Damon wouldn't be irritated at her for not calling him and letting him know, she just wanted a bit of time to herself to reflect on all that had happened recently. There was so much she still couldn't comprehend.

Vella called for a pizza, had a quick bath and decided to relax with a glass of wine while watching TV.

It was about 15 minutes into her show when the pizza arrived.

Vella got up from the couch to answer the door.

She opened the door a crack and told the driver to come in a second while she got the money.

As Vella turned to grab her purse, she was thrown part way across her livingroom, hitting the couch and falling on the ground. Before she knew what was happening, she was being snatched up forcefully from the ground by her shoulder and arm.

When Vella finally opened her eyes, she saw it was a vampire, the same one who had killed her parents eight years ago.

Fear had struck Vella. She knew she wouldn't be able to be compelled because she was wearing her pendant, but she hadn't been drinking her daily dose of vervain. All she could do was hope that Damon would make it to her house on time.

"What do you want with me?" Vella asked as bravely as she could.

"We want something of your mother's. Its ours and we want it," the male vampire replied.

Vella turned her head when she saw movement to her side. It was the female vampire, the one who had been with the male vampire when he killed her parents and the one who had hurt her sister.

"What could my mother have had that you want?"

The male vampire, which she soon realized was named Gabriel, tightened his grip on her shoulder, digging his nails in and drawing blood.

Vella winced in pain, but didn't scream.

"We will know what it is when we find it."

The female vampire, who was named, Lilith, was busy tearing apart the house searching for what they had came for.

It only took about ten minutes for Lilith to turn the entire house upside down, ten very painful minutes for Vella, but she hadn't found what she was looking for.

Frustrated, she walked over to Vella and slapped her hard across the face. "Where is all of your mother's stuff?"

Vella was dazed by the slap, her shoulder was aching and she was feeling faint again.

"I don't have everything of hers, I got rid of some and the rest was taken by member's of the Founder's Council."

The two vampires shot each other knowing glances.

Vella hoped they would leave her alone now that they knew she obviously didn't have what they wanted, but they weren't going to give up that easily.

Lilith grabbed Vella by the hair, pulling her head back, exposing her neck.

"I want you to take that pendant off, or I will have to do this the hard way."

By 'hard way', Vella imagined she meant biting her, which she wasn't going to allow to happen. So she agreed to take the necklace off.

Gabriel grabbed both of Vella's arms and pulled them behind her, while Lilith grabbed the hair on the left side of her head, so she could stare into Vella's eyes.

Lilith was searching for the truth in Vella's eyes, but when she found the truth she was livid.

"This witch doesn't know anything useful that I can see, Gabriel. But she does know where her mom's stuff is, it's in a storage place somewhere nearby."

Vella wasn't quite sure what they wanted, but she was positive that she didn't want them to find it, whatever it was. She wasn't sure why or how she knew this, but she did.

Suddenly, Gabriel let go of her arms and began to dig his fingernails into the soft flesh on either side of Vella's waist, piercing the skin.

Vella cried out in agony. The pain was so excruciating she nearly passed out.

Lilith once again pulled on Vella's hair and looked into her eyes, hoping to find out more information. Eventually, Vella couldn't fight Lilith's compulsion anymore and told her what she wanted to know.

Gabriel was about to bite her neck when Lilith stopped him.

"Don't, not yet. We may need her still," Lilith ordered.

It was the last thing Vella would remember. She was in so much agony, she finally succumbed to unconciousness, her last thought was of Damon.

Damon had went home ealier that day and slept. He hadn't slept much while he was with Vella and he was exhausted, both physically and mentally.  
He assumed Vella would be safe while she was at work. Most vampires wouldn't do anything in broad daylight around alot of people, especially if they knew this town. And that was only if they could go out in the sun any way.

Damon slept until it began to get dark and then went in search of someone to feed from.

He had had enough blood from Vella to get him through the day, but he needed to stay strong if he wanted to fend off this vampire who was after Vella.

After Damon fed, he went home to talk to his brother. He wanted Stefan to know what was going on, or at least as much as he knew.  
Stefan was very worried by this new information. He didn't want Elena getting caught up in whatever was going on with Damon and his friend.

Stefan wasn't completely heartless though. He was also worried for Vella. She obviously was into something way over her head and had no idea what was going on. And resorting to help from Damon, Stefan figured she must really be desperate.

Damon made Stefan promise to keep his eyes and ears out for the vampire, but there was no need for him to ask because he would any way. Not for his brother, or even Vella, but for Elena and the town.

Damon left the boarding house a little later than he had planned that night. He had lost track of time talking with Stefan.

He drove quickly, determined not to be too late. He was worried, which was soon replaced by anger and blind rage. If he caught that vampire who was after Vella, he was going to rip him into little pieces.

As Damon got closer to Vella's house, he began to feel uneasy. He could sense another vampire, or was it vampires?

When Damon arrived at her house, he noticed the front door was slightly ajar, which he knew was unlike her.

Damon didn't even think, he couldn't, he just reacted.

Damon flew into the house just in time to see Gabriel and Lilith trying to leave with Vella.

He barely had time to yell, "Get away from her." Before Lilith let go of Vella's arm and dove at Damon.

Damon was too quick for her though and she ended up running past him.

Gabriel took a hold of Vella and threw her across the room, the opposite way of the front door.

Damon caught Vella before she could hit the floor. He placed her gently on the couch and ran after the vampires, but they had already escaped into the night. His blind rage changed quickly into concern for Vella.

Damon knew Vella would never be safe here again. The only way they could have gotten in to her house was by being invited by her.

The only thing Damon could think of doing was taking her back to the boarding house, she would be safe there for the time being.

Damon looked Vella over to make sure she wasn't hurt too badly. She was bleeding but it didn't seem to be too bad. So he proceeded in wrapping her tightly in a blanket and taking her to his car.

Damon placed Vella gently in the passenger side and buckled her up. Her breathing was quiet but laboured, which had Damon worried. He wished he knew how to help her.

Damon drove as fast as he could to the boarding house. For once he actually hoped his brother was home.

Stefan was waiting for his brother when Damon arrived. He had sensed Damon needed his help.

Damon ran out of the car after he stopped, picked up Vella from the passenger side and carried her into the house while Stefan followed from behind.

"What happened, Damon?" Stefan questioned.

"She was attacked by two vampires, a male and a female," Damon replied as he gently placed Vella on the couch in the livingroom.

Stefan bent over to listen to Vella's breathing. It seemed to be getting stronger by the minute.  
Stefan asked his brother to remove the blankets around Vella so he could examine her.

Damon carefully untangled the blankets surrounding Vella. He could see the blood staining the blankets which made his rage return. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes for a moment trying to calm himself down.

Stefan examined the wounds on Vella's waist. They didn't seem to be too deep, which he was relieved to see. But Stefan did find something odd, her wounds seem to be healing somewhat quickly for someone who wasn't a vampire.

Stefan told Damon to take her upstairs to his room and then asked him to come back down once she was settled so they could talk.

Damon carried Vella upstairs to his room and placed her gently on the bed. He covered her with his blankets and then kissed her on the forehead. Damon could tell Vella was going to be okay, so he preceded to go back downstairs to talk with his brother.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 ~ Complications

Stefan was downstairs pacing around waiting to confront his brother. What was he thinking? Has he lost his mind?

Damon walked down the stairs and into the livingroom. He could tell by the look on Stefan's face he was angry but also disappointed.

Damon wasn't sure he was in the mood for this right now, so he walked past him and into the kitchen to grab a beer.

Stefan followed him into the kitchen.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Damon?" he yelled.

Damon turned to look at his brother, giving him an evil look. "What do you mean?"

"Are you seriously going to play stupid, brother?" He paused for a sec than added, "Because it doesn't suit you."

Damon looked at his brother shrewdly but didnt answer. Instead he took a drink from his beer.

"Are you going to answer me, Damon?" Stefan continued on.

"Why don't you just tell me what's up your ass now, Stefan?" Damon yelled in retaliation, "Cause I'm getting sick of your attitude as of late."

With that Damon threw his bottle of beer against the wall behind Stefan, where it shattered into tiny shards.

Stefan just stared at his brother as if he hadn't just seen him smash the bottle against the kitchen wall.

"What were you thinking by sharing blood with Vella?"

Damon narrowed his eyes at Stefan, then began to walk past his brother towards the livingroom.

As he walked past, Stefan grabbed Damon by the shoulder.

Damon slapped his brother's hand away and continued to walk into the livingroom.

Stefan followed right behind him. "Damon, I'm not going to let this go."

Damon turned around to face his brother, he had already been angry but now he was seething. "What I do is none of your business! When the hell are you going to learn that?"

"I'm afraid that isn't true, Damon," Stefan stated calmly.

"Well enlighten me then, BROTHER!"

"Did you even think of the consequences, Damon?" Stefan asked, "No, of course not, you never do. When will you ever learn?"

Damon walked closer to Stefan with a raised fist. "I'm not explaining myself to you, or anyone for that matter. All that matters to me right now is, Vella."

"Damon, if those vampires had killed her, she would be a vampire right now," Stefan said. "Did you even think of that?"

Damon unclenched his fist and put his hand down beside him.

"I know, Stefan. You don't have to remind me," Damon replied in a defeated voice.

Stefan had never heard his brother back down so easily. What was going on between him and Vella, he wondered.

Damon couldn't think straight with all the conflicting emotions he was feeling. He was angry, not only at the vampires, but at himself as well.

Damon had failed Vella when she really needed him the most and he hated himself for it.

Stefan placed his hand on Damon's shoulder in a supportive gesture. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he had never seen his brother act like this before.

Damon shrugged his brother's hand off his shoulder, turned and sat down on the couch and Stefan sat beside him.

As calmly as he could, Damon explained to his brother all that he knew, leaving out a few of the more personal details.

Stefan listened intently to his brother's story, wondering what the vampires could possibly want. But he figured, since Vella's mother was a witch, that it must be some magical artifact they were after. If that was it, Stefan couldn't allow them to find what they were looking for.

Damon was silently grateful for his brother's presence. He wasn't sure what would have happened if he hadn't had Stefan to turn to, but he would never admit that to his brother.

After he was done discussing things with Stefan, Damon went upstairs to sit at Vella's bedside.

Damon sat beside Vella, almost unmoving until she began to stir a few hours later.

Vella opened her eyes a little, trying to see where she was. She was in pain and couldn't quite remember anything. When her eyes finally focused, she was greeted by Damon's worried face.

As Vella tried to roll over to her side, she winced in pain.

"Don't move, Vella," Damon whispered.

Vella was in too much pain to argue. She suddenly began to remember her last moments before she had passed out, which caused her to start breathing a little too heavily with panic.

Damon cupped one side of her face gently with his hand and whispered, "Don't worry, you're safe here."

Vella wasn't quite sure where 'here' was, but she knew she could trust him, so she did as he asked.

Damon made sure she would be okay for a minute and left to go downstairs to find his brother.

Stefan was is in the livingroom, now joined by his girlfriend, Elena.

Damon walked by them, into the kitchen to grab Vella a glass of water.

Elena followed Damon into the kitchen. She wanted to find out if he was okay, but he wasn't really in the mood to talk.

Damon excused himself and headed back up up to his bedroom.

He thought Vella was asleep again, but she opened her eyes when he walked in the room.

Damon put the glass of water on the table beside the bed and asked her if she wanted some. Vella was thirsty, so Damon helped sit her up carefully and handed her the glass.

Vella took the glass ardently, she felt like she was dying of thirst. She drank down the whole glass, but her thirst wasn't quenched, so she asked Damon for more.

Damon was unwilling to leave her side again, so he yelled downstairs for his brother, hoping he wouldn't mind bringing up a glass of water.

It was Elena who brought the water to Damon.

Damon gave Elena a smile of thanks and turned his attention back to Vella.

Elena figured he wasn't going to tell her anything, so she left to give them some privacy.

Vella drank down the second glass of water. She felt better after finishing this glass.

Vella's head was swimming though, with all kinds of memories. Some were about what happened the night before and some were from her past. She was trying to sort them all out, but it felt like a floodgate had been opened and she couldn't close it.

Damon tried comforting Vella, but he wasn't sure how. Instead, he just sat by her waiting until she needed help.

Vella began crying inconsolably, which worried Damon. She didn't really seem to be herself, she seemed panicked, so Damon did the only thing he thought would help her relax, he compelled her.

Vella relaxed enough that she began to doze off, which helped Damon relax as well. He had hated compelling her, but he would ask her for her forgiveness later when she was back to normal.

Damon gently crawled into the bed beside Vella, and closed his eyes. He was listening to the rhythm of her heartbeat, when he himself dozed off.

Damon was awoken a short while later by his brother, Stefan.

Stefan told his brother the police were at the door looking for him and he needed to come downstairs and talk to them.

Damon got up and made sure Vella was okay, before he went down the stairs.

The town sheriff was waiting downstairs for Damon. He had dealt with her in the past and figured he would be able to get rid of her easily enough.

The sheriff was concerned about Vella. The police had found her house broken into, trashed and with no sign of Vella. She had been told by witnesses that the last person she had been seen with was Damon.

Damon told Sheriff Forbes, that he had come to visit Vella and found her house trashed, so he had went in search of her and brought her to the boarding house to make sure she would be safe.

Sheriff Forbes didn't totally believe Damon's story, but she never had a reason to mistrust him in the past. Since Damon said she was sleeping from her ordeal, she told him she would come back to talk to Vella the next day when she was feeling better.

After the sheriff had left, Damon began to pace a few steps back and forth thinking. He suspected something big was going on and the Founder's Council probably knew what that might be and he needed to know what that was.

Stefan was not pleased by the appearance of the sheriff either. He knew this must involve the town and that could get dicey for him and his brother. They weren't suspected of being vampires, at least not yet, but it wouldn't be that difficult to figure it out.

After Damon was done pacing, he went back up to his room to lay with Vella and promptly fell asleep once again.

It was late in the afternoon when Damon was awakened by Vella thrashing around in the bed. She was actually still asleep, so he tried talking to her in gentle whispers to calm her down, but it didn't work. Damon figured the only way was to wake her up.

Damon called her name a few times and the thrashing subsided.

Vella's eyes then opened. She was disoriented at first, but when she saw Damon's worried face and heard his soothing voice, she was suddenly aware.

Vella sighed and then wrapped her arms tightly around Damon. Tears started to flow slowly at first, then much more quickly.

Damon held her as hard as he could without hurting her. He wanted her pain to stop but nothing he said seemed to help.

Damon eventually asked her if he could compel her to help, but she said no.

It took Vella a few more minutes to calm down enough so she could talk.

Vella told Damon she was hungry and thirsty, so he went down to make her food. Elena was still there, so he asked for her help since he wasn't sure what she would need to eat.

Elena was silently amused. Damon never usually admitted not knowing everything.

Elena made some chicken noodle soup for Vella and brought it up to Damon's room.

When Elena walked in, she was surprised to see Damon and Vella holding each other. She put the tray with the soup, some crackers, an apple and some milk on the table beside the bed and excused herself.

Damon thanked Elena for her help.

Elena just gave him a nod and left to be with Stefan.

Vella ate and drank and began to feel much better, which pleased Damon. He had been so sick with worry he hadn't even eaten in almost two days. He knew that he needed to real soon.

When Vella was finished eating, she asked Damon to show her to the washroom so she could clean herself up.

Damon helped her out of bed carefully, stopping to let her catch her balance.

Vella winced at the pain from her waist. It wasn't as bad as it should be, she thought. How was that possible?

Damon helped Vella down the hallway and into the washroom. She asked if he could run her a bath, she felt dirty.

Damon ran her water, helped her out of her clothes and then lifted her into the tub. He yelled down to Elena, asking her to bring some clothes up for Vella.

Vella checked out the wounds on her side. They seemed to be healing rather quickly, which had her stumped. She was a nurse and had never seen anything like it.

Vella questioned Damon about this, but he tried to change the subject.

"Damon, please," Vella pleaded with him. "What's going on?"

Damon didn't want her to worry, so he explained how his blood was helping to heal her quicker than she normally would.

Vella was relieved to hear that she wasn't a vampire, she had been worried she had died, but now she felt silly for thinking that.

Elena had brought some clothes up for Vella. She had gone out earlier with Damon's credit card and bought some things for her.

"I had Elena get you some clothes because the police were at your house and they wouldn't let us in."

Vella was very grateful to both Damon and Elena. She knew she couldn't go home again, at least not without Damon.

After Vella was clean and freshly dressed, she wanted to go outside for some fresh air.

Damon didn't want to do this since it was dark, but he had promised her, so he took her out for a few minutes.  
Vella was quiet as they walked. All she could do was run the memories of her past through her head. The vampire attack had triggered old memories of the night her parents were killed, only they weren't the same memories she had remembered for the last 8 years.

Vella decided against discussing this with Damon, until she was feeling up to talking. She had to come to terms with being lied to for years by people whom she had trusted.

Damon took the time to tell her about the sheriff, which he noticed seemed to upset Vella. He was suddenly aware she was keeping something from him. His first instincts were to compel her so he could know what it was here and now, but he didn't want to be that kind of person with Vella. He figured she would tell him eventually, when she was ready.

Damon took Vella back inside the house. He asked his brother Stefan, if he would look after her while he was gone.

Stefan reluctantly agreed. He knew why he had to go out and wouldn't have denied him.

Vella didn't want him to leave, but she knew he needed to feed. He had told her it had been two days, which worried her. So she agreed to stay with Stefan and Elena and behave herself.

Damon chuckled silently when she said she would behave herself. It wasn't long ago he muttered those exact words to Vella in her own house.

While Damon was out hunting for food, he also hunted for the vampires. He knew they couldn't be too far, but they seemed to be adept at hiding.

He didn't search for them very long, not wanting to leave Vella alone.

While Damon was hunting, he found two young women out alone. It took all of his self control not to kill the both of them and totally drain them of blood.

Instead he took what he needed without hurting them and neither would remember a thing.

When Damon arrived home, he found his brother, Elena and Vella playing cards together. They seemed to be having a good time, which helped Damon relax, if only a little.

Damon watched them play for awhile, not wanting to play himself. When it was getting too late, Damon convinced Vella to go up to bed. She would need her rest for her visit with the sheriff the next day.

"Are you going to sleep in the bed with me tonight?" Vella asked Damon when they got to his room.

Damon gave her one of his coy smiles and said, "Only if you want me to."

Vella gave him a smile back and told him it was the only way she was going to bed, so he relented.

Damon and Vella fell asleep holding each other tightly


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 ~ Lies and False Memories

Vella and Damon woke up early the next morning to the sun shining in their eyes.  
Damon normally kept the curtains closed but he had been too preoccupied to remember trivial things like that lately.

The two of them cleaned up and went down into the kitchen so Vella could have some breakfast.

Vella wondered why Stefan and Damon bothered to keep food in the house when they didn't eat, but she figured it was for Elena, since she practically lived there nowadays.

After Vella finished eating, her and Damon went outside for some fresh air and then came back and sat in the livingroom until the sherriff showed up.

When Sheriff Forbes arrived, she asked to talk to Vella privately.

Damon gave her a shrewd look but relented to her request. Instead he went upstairs to tidy up his room.

Vella told the sheriff exactly what Damon had told her the day before. Her house had been ransacked and she left to find somewhere safe.

The sheriff wanted Vella to explain why she hadn't called the police.

Vella studied the sheriff's face, before answering. "Because I don't trust anyone in this town anymore."

Sheriff Forbes was shocked by this statement and wanted to know why that was. The town had taken care of her when her parents were murdered.

Vella snorted incredulously at this statement. She knew that wasn't entirely true. After she had shared blood with Damon, she had began to discover memories she didn't know were there before. The vampire attack just intensified the memories that had been dormant for so long.

Vella began to feel angry towards the sheriff for her false concern. She wanted to throttle her senseless but she kept a calm exterior

The memories Vella had began to remember, involved many members of the Founder's Council, including the sheriff. What she really wanted to know was why they lied to her about what happened to her and her parents.

When Vella confronted the sheriff about this, she denied knowing anything about her new found memories. Instead she was adamant that the events happened just like she had always known.

Vella knew the sheriff was lying but didn't press her. She knew Sheriff Forbes would go back to the mayor and the Founder's Council and tell them what was going on. Maybe she would get some answers now.

Vella walked the sheriff to the door and closed it behind her. She was standing behind the door with her hand on the knob when tears starting flowing.

Damon had heard the door close and came downstairs to see if Vella was okay after her encounter with the sheriff. When he noticed she was crying again, he took Vella into the livingroom and sat her on the couch.

Vella leaned on Damon for support. She buried her face into his chest and began to sob heavily.

Damon was distressed by all the crying Vella had been doing. He wished she would open up so he would know how to help her. He was considering using his compulsion but he couldn't justify it to himself. He would just wait until she was ready.

After about ten minutes, Vella's sobs became little more than the occasional whimper and then stopped altogether.

Damon lifted her head up gently and kissed her forehead. "Are you okay?"

Vella stared into Damon's eyes, which made her feel more relaxed. She wasn't sure whether she felt relaxed because she felt safe with him, or because he was compelling her to relax, but she decided it didn't matter either way at this point.

"I'm fine, Damon," Vella whispered.

Damon smiled at her, then leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips.

Vella kissed him back as gently as he had kissed her. She was surprised at how he could make her feel.

Vella felt safe with him like she had never felt safe before, at least not since her parents were murdered. She laughed to herself when she thought of how crazy she sounded. Damon? Safe? She never would have guessed things would have turned out like this.

Even though it hadn't been long since Vella had known Damon, she knew he was more sensitive then he ever let on. She felt herself falling deeply in love with him, but she couldn't think about that right now. She didn't need anymore distractions. She had to concentrate on her memories and figure out what these vampires wanted with her.

Damon and Vella cuddled up on the couch, each dwelling on their own thoughts.

Damon was well aware of his feelings for Vella and how dangerous they were. He knew if he wasn't careful something bad could happen to Vella and he knew he would never forgive himself if it did. He never went back on a promise, ever.

Is this how Stefan felt? Damon wondered. Is this why he is always brooding?

Damon never imagined he would ever be able to sympathize with his brother, even if they lived a million years. What a strange turn of events.

Stefan arrived home later after school with Elena in tow.

While Elena and Vella cooked some food in the kitchen for themselves, Damon and Stefan spent some time talking about the meeting with the sheriff.

Stefan reminded Damon that they needed to be careful where the Founder's Council was concerned.

Damon rolled his eyes at his brother. It's not like he needed to be reminded of this fact.

After they were finished eating, Elena and Vella joined the brothers in the livingroom.

Vella decided that this was the time she needed to tell them all what was really going on.

Vella summoned up all the courage she could muster before she spoke.

All eyes were on Vella. They all wanted to know what was going on, but no one more than Damon.

Vella tried her best to keep her eyes on Damon while she spoke so she could keep calm because the memories were still too painful.

"My mom was a witch, but she was much more than that. She was also the town protector," Vella started.

"For 125 years there has always been a witch protecting the town and a very important, but dangerous secret."

Vella choked back a few tears and went on explaining.

"Since the trouble they had in 1864 with vampires, the town decided they needed to stay vigilant. So their decision was to build a huge underground tomb, bigger than the tomb underneath Fell's church."

With this Damon and Stefan exchanged glances, while Vella went on explaining.

"It took them until 1884 to completely finish building it. Their plan was when they caught a vampire, they would lock it in the tomb so they couldn't create anymore way they knew where they were and could ensure the town's safety. The only problem was they needed a witch to protect the seal."

Vella took a drink of water from a glass she had gotten earlier. She was starting to shake a little and almost dropped the glass, but Damon caught it before it fell onto the floor.

Vella looked into Damon's eyes apologetically. She was relieved to see a supportive smile from him.

"The Founder's Council are the ones who have kept the secret through the years. They have passed it down from generation to generation. That's how my mother became the town protector, from her mother and eventually it was supposed to be me."

It was hard enough for Vella to know this, but harder for her to say it out loud. It was what she had fought about with her mother they day she died and she couldn't forgive herself. Suddenly, she couldn't hold back the tears anymore. She let the tears fall and breathed a few deep breaths.

After she got herself under control she went on with her story.

"For the last 125 years, the Founder's council have been locking vampires up in the tomb. For some reason, unbeknownst to anyone, vampires like to frequent this town."  
Vella had a hard time saying the last part without slightly grinning.

Stefan interrupted. "So how many vampires are we talking about Vella?"

"I'm not quite sure Stefan, that memory is still a little fuzzy but I know that it is in excess of 100."

Elena and the brothers gasped.

"Are you serious?" Elena asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. No vampire has been entombed in over 30 years though. My mother was the last person alive who knew the exact location of the tomb and who had the spell to break the seal.:

"So this is what these vampires must be after then," stated Stefan. "A way into the tomb."

"Yes, they have many family members in there and they want them all out. That's what they were after the night they killed my parents."

Vella took a few deep breaths so she could go on. "It seems they were after some gemstone and the spell for the seal. The spell is on a piece of parchment with a map to the tomb."

Damon, Stefan and Elena began talking amongst themselves for a few seconds, while Vella calmed down.

"The night my parents were killed I had come home to the door open and ran in without thinking. After the vampires killed my parents, they grabbed my sister and told me I needed to tell them what they needed to know," Vella closed her eyes. "But I didn't have a clue, because I had told my mom I wasn't interested in becoming a witch. That was what we had been fighting about earlier that night."

Vella didn't think she could go on with the story. She blamed herself for everything, especially for her sister. Her sister had only been ten years old and it was all her fault. Those words kept running through Vella's head.

Damon got up off the couch, walked over to Vella and held her close to him. She was shaking and sobbing but Damon's touch calmed her down a little.

Damon whispered in Vella's ear, "It's okay," then kissed her on the forehead and hugged her tightly.

When Vella was finally able to go on again, Damon sat back down on the couch.

"The male vampire, who I now know as Gabriel, held my sister, while the female vampire, Lilith came over to me and tried to compel me. She was livid when she realized I was wearing vervain too. Instead, she decided to take a bite out of me. She told me she would be torturing my sister until she got what she wanted."

Vella had silent tears running down her cheeks while she spoke. "I passed out at some point and woke up in the hospital surrounded by members of the Founder's council. I heard them discussing my mom's possessions and how they were unhappy they couldn't find something. I pretended to be asleep for awhile. It's all I pretty much remember. At some point they must have brainwashed me somehow to believe what they wanted me to."

Stefan, Damon and Elena all looked at each other with stunned looks on their faces.

Vella excused herself and went up to Damon's bedroom and laid on the bed face down. She began banging her fists on the bed with anger, which brought a new wave of tears. All she really wanted to know was what happened to her sister. Did the vampires kill her? Did they turn her? The unknown was more painful than any answer could be.

This is all my fault!

Damon came upstairs to see how Vella was a few minutes later. He had been speaking to his brother and Elena about all the new information.

When Damon entered his room, Vella was standing at the bedroom window looking out into the night sky.

The moon was full that night. It shined so brightly, it illuminated the forest surrounding the boarding house as if it was daytime.

Damon walked over to Vella and laid his hands on her shoulders. Neither of them moved or made a sound for a short time.

Finally, a few minutes later, Vella turned around and nearly passed out.

Damon scooped her up and laid her gently onto his bed.

"I'm sorry, Damon," Vella whispered to him.

Damon gave her a questioning look. "For what?"

"For everything," she replied. "For getting you involved in this mess. For being needy."

Damon placed his fingers on her lips to hush her. "Vella, you are not being needy. You just need someone right now and that person is me."

Vella gave him a weak smile. "It's kind of you to say but I know it isn't true."  
Damon looked into her eyes sadly, "Why would you say that?"

"Oh, come on, Damon. Wouldn't you rather be doing something else, anything else than taking care of me, if I hadn't made you promise to help me?" Vella asked.

Without hesitation, Damon replied, "No, absolutely not."

Vella rolled over on the bed so she was laying on her side, facing away from Damon. She was feeling pitiful and she didn't want Damon taking pity over her. She would take care of her problems by herself. She was used to doing things alone. No one else needed to be hurt in the process.

Damon crawled onto the bed behind her and gently turned her over so she could look into his eyes. "Vella, please don't shut me out now. You can't do this alone. You need friends at a time like this."

Why couldn't she do this alone? Isn't that what she's been doing for eight years now? Having trouble keeping close friends? Having trouble confiding in people? Keeping everything to herself? These were all thoughts running through Vella's head.  
Was Damon her friend? Vella thought there might be more between them, but maybe he was just pitying her. Yup, that was it, she decided, pity and the promise he had made her. Well Vella didn't want to be pitied, nor was she going to hold Damon to a promise he made before he knew what was going on.

Vella rolled over and mumbled something about being exhausted so Damon would leave her alone.

Damon kissed her on the back of her head and left the room. He knew she needed some alone time, so he decided this would be a good time to go hunting. Before he left though, he asked Stefan to listen out for her in case she needed something.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 ~ Regrets

Vella was waiting until she knew Damon was gone and Stefan was busy so he wouldn't hear her. She walked down the stairs, through the livingroom and out the front door without being noticed.

Vella was fishing the keys to her car out of her purse. Damon had kindly brought her car to the boarding house for her the day before.  
When she found the keys she started the car and began to drive away from the boarding house.

Vella had no clue where she was going. All she knew for sure was she was going there alone. She didn't think she deserved anyone's help because the whole situation was her fault. Why didn't I let my mom teach me witchcraft? Why did I have to be so stubborn? Why couldn't the vampires have killed me instead of my little sister? Her thoughts we all toxic to her well being, but she was too distraught to realize it.

Vella had only got half a mile from the boarding house when all of a sudden there was something in the middle of the road. She had been going too quickly to stop so she tried to swerve, but her car hit the ditch on the other side of the road, rolled over and came to a stop on the passenger side.

Vella was hurt, but alive. She was thinking how grateful she was for her seat belt, when suddenly she was being yanked out of it and thrown on the grass in the ditch.

Vella was stunned from the landing. It felt as if she had a cut on her right shoulder. She tried to prop herself up on her left side, when something grabbed her right arm suddenly.

Vella screamed out in agony from the searing pain. When her eyes came back in to focus, she realized it was Gabriel.

"Did you really think you could hide from me?" he uttered in an ominous voice.

Vella tried to scream for help, but Gabriel dug his fingers deep into the large gash on her right shoulder which caused her to whimper instead.

"I wouldn't bother trying that again, it's just going to hurt you more," Gabriel whispered in her ear.

Vella shuddered. She couldn't think straight, she was in too much pain. She tried to move away from him, but that only caused him to push his fingers deeper into her shoulder.

"It must be horrible being so weak," Gabriel chided. "If you would only give me what I want I would leave you alone."

Vella gave him an evil look. "You must think I'm really stupid. The moment you get what you want you will either kill me, or turn me into a vampire."

Gabriel narrowed his eyes. "You are correct, but you are forgetting one thing."

"What's that?" Vella asked, though afraid of the answer.

Gabriel began to cackle. "If you give me what I want, I will kill you quickly. But if you don't, than I will take my time torturing you as painfully as I possibly can."

Vella knew this was it. She wouldn't give the vampire what he wanted no matter what. She wasn't about to let them release over 100 super hungry vampires into the world. But first, she wanted to know something.

"If you want to know you have to answer a question for me."

"Well I don't have to do anything since I am the one who has the upper hand, but you amuse me, so ask me what you will, " Gabriel replied with an amused smile.

"What happened to my sister?"

Gabriel's eyes narrowed again. He was trying to decide if he should tell her, or if he would wait until he got what he wanted. He decided on the latter.

"I will tell you once I have what I came for."

Vella felt defeated. This was how her life was going to end and she didn't have the answer she needed.

Gabriel didn't give her a chance to think. He dug his fingers in a bit deeper and than bit her in the neck.

The sudden pain incapacitated Vella. She couldn't move or breathe. She felt like her whole body was on fire and she couldn't move. Her last thought before she sank into unconsciousness was of her sister.

Damon was out hunting in the woods close to town. Since the moon was so bright, he had to be careful not to be spotted by anyone. The only thing he sensed was a giant male deer. It wasn't his usual diet but it would do in a pinch.  
He stalked the deer and drained it of all its blood, then cut a huge hole in it so other animals would clean up the body quickly.

Damon was disgusted by the taste, but he was too worried about Vella's state of mind to continue to hunt for more suitable prey at the moment. He figured he could visit the blood bank when he had a chance. Before he would head home though, he did a quick sweep of the forest in case the vampires after Vella were nearby.

While Damon was sweeping the west side of the forest, he felt a burst of energy, which was obviously a vampire. He had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He took off as fast as he could go in the direction of the energy burst.

As Damon approached the area where Gabriel was torturing Vella, he could hear her cry out in pain and then silence.

Damon didn't even bother to think of the possibility Lilith was around also, instead he ran super speed to where Gabriel was perched over Vella and stuck out his arm.

Damon's arm connected with Gabriel's head and sent him flying onto the road.

Gabriel got up and stared angrily at Damon, but instead of fighting he took off into the night.

Damon paused to listen and make sure Gabriel was gone before he ran over to Vella.

She was bleeding profusely from a wound in her shoulder and another in her neck.

Damon picked her up and ran towards the boarding house.  
When Damon arrived at home, he yelled for his brother to help him.

Stefan came running down the hall to see what had happened. He was shocked to see Damon carrying Vella's limp, bloody body.

"Weren't you supposed to be watching her, Stefan?" Damon screamed.

Stefan didn't defend himself, there was no time. Vella needed help now.

Damon and Stefan did their best to stymie the bleeding, but the wound on her shoulder kept bleeding. The only thing Damon could do was bite his wrist, and try to get Vella to drink his blood and hope it would work fast enough before she lost too much of her own blood.

Stefan did not agree with this, but he didn't protest.

What else could they do? Definitely not take her to the hospital.

After what seemed like forever, the bleeding stopped and the two brothers relaxed...a little.

Stefan apologized profusely to his brother for not hearing her leave. But Damon was too sick with worry to care about his brother's stupidity, he would make him pay later.

Damon took her up to his bedroom once again and sat vigil. He didn't move again until she woke up the next afternoon.

Vella opened her eyes slowly, taking time to let them focus. Her head hurt and she didn't quite remember where she was at first.

Damon was instantly at her side, looking her over to make sure she was still healing.

Vella smiled weakly at Damon. She was beginning to remember what had happened and was grateful to be alive, or was she dead?

Damon made her promise not to move and grabbed her a glass of water, which she took willingly.

Damon helped her sit up so she could drink it.

Vella drank the whole glass which made her feel a bit better. All she really wanted was something for her headache though, but she didn't tell Damon. She figured she deserved to suffer through a little pain after the stupid thing she had done.

After Damon was sure she was going to be okay, he questioned her about leaving the house.

Vella just told him she didn't remember why she left, but she remembered.

Damon could sense she was lying, which incensed him.

Why did she not trust me? After all that I have done for her, how could she still not trust me?

He thought about it for a minute, than called her on her lie. He decided he would compel her if she wasn't going to be honest, but he didn't tell her that.

Vella began to sob a little. "I'm sorry, Damon. I don't want to lie to you."

Damon looked at her shrewdly. "Then why did you? I thought we trusted each other."

Vella wasn't sure what to say, she knew he was right and it hurt. "I do trust you."

Damon snorted a little. "It sure doesn't seem that way from my position."

Vella was suddenly feeling more regrets. She had failed her sister, she had failed herself and now she was failing the one person who had tried to help her. What was wrong with her?

Damon was angry and disappointed but most of all he felt hurt. After all they had gone through, after all they had shared, how could she do this?

Damon decided the best thing was to leave her alone for awhile. She needed her rest any way.

He decided to do something unlike him and find his brother. He needed help to make sense of this before he did something he regretted.

Stefan did his best to council Damon, but since he knew little of what they had been through, he couldn't say much. He did remind Damon of all that Vella had remembered in the past few days and how it was probably weighing heavily in her mind.

Stefan tried to assured Damon that it probably had nothing to do with him, he was positive of that. He could tell how Vella felt about him by the looks she gave his brother when she knew he wasn't watching. Stefan didn't need compulsion to tell him that.

Stefan actually made him feel better, which relieved Damon. Asking for his brother's help was not good for his ego, but he would do just about anything for Vella. If only she knew that, he thought, maybe that's the problem.

Damon went back to his room to check on Vella, who was sleeping soundly, so he sat by her bedside until she awoke an hour later.

When Vella opened her eyes from her nap, she saw Damon sitting in a chair beside the bed with his eyes closed, but she could tell he wasn't sleeping.

She felt a wave of guilt and regret wash over her. She was surprised Damon was even waiting for her after what she had done.

Vella sat herself up in the bed with her back on the headboard. She was feeling much stronger and she noticed her shoulder was healing quickly.

Damon got up from his chair and sat down beside her on the bed. He took a hold of her hand, wrapped his fingers between hers and gently squeezed.

Vella squeezed her hand in return and turned to Damon, who looked like he had lost his best friend.

"Damon, I'm so sorry," Vella apologized. " I never meant to hurt you."

Damon turned and looked into her eyes and frowned. "I know you're sorry, Vella. That's not why I am upset."

Vella frowned, she wasn't sure she wanted to hear what he might say.

"I'm upset because I wasn't thinking about your state of mind last night. I should have known you weren't thinking clearly. Instead I left you alone."

Damon went to look away from her, but Vella put her hand on his face and forced him to look at her again.

Vella had a few silent tears running down her face. She wasn't sure which emotion was responsible however. It could be the guilt, the shame, the regret or maybe, love?

"It wasn't your fault, Damon," Vella whispered.

Damon leaned closer until his lips were brushing the side of Vella's face close to her ear. He whispered, "That doesn't matter now. What does matter is..."

Damon couldn't finish his sentence. What he wanted to say was 'us', but he didnt think he could actually admit his feelings out loud to himself and Vella. There were very few things in this world that could frighten Damon, but love was one of them.

Vella nuzzled her face up against his, hoping he would finish his sentence. The suspense was killing her. She just had to know what he was going to say.

Damon opened his lips and whispered, "I love you, Vella."

Vella pulled her head back a bit and turned Damon's head so she could look him in the eyes. She wasn't sure how long she stared into his eyes, it seemed forever. Vella had to know if he was telling the truth, his eyes told her everything. She began to breath a little heavier, she was scared but exhilarated at the same time.

Vella finally got the courage to whisper, "I love you too," while a happy tear rolled down her face.

Damon and Vella embraced each other tightly, neither of them uttering a word. They had been alone in the world for a long time, but now they had each other.

It was many hours later, when Vella and Damon left Damon's bedroom.

Vella grabbed herself something to eat in the kitchen, while Damon searched the house for his brother, but didnt find him.

They sat on the couch making plans about their next moves against the vampires.

Vella was feeling much braver than she ever had thanks to Damon, but she was still terribly frightened.  
When Stefan arrived home later that night, Damon and Vella discussed their plans.

Stefan wasn't thrilled with their plan, but he didn't object. He knew they had to do anything and everything they could do to stop the massive tomb from being opened, but that would wait until tomorrow.

**This will be the last chapter I add for a short time. I have 5 more written and working on a 6th, but I need to do some revisions still.**

**Please leave reviews so I know whether there is a point to keep on writing. Thanks!!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 ~ Best Laid Plans

Vella called the mayor's office early the next morning to make an appointment to see him. His office had said he wasn't available at first, but Vella told the secretary exactly what she wanted from him. After a minute she came back to the phone and said he would be available at noon.

Damon accompanied Vella to her meeting with the mayor.  
Mayor Lockwood had been apprehensive at first, but the sheriff had told the mayor how helpful Damon had been in the past, so he reluctantly let him stay.

Vella kept her calm through the meeting, even though she felt like jumping out of her skin. She made Damon promise to compel her if she became too emotional during the meeting.

The mayor didn't tell Vella much that she didn't already know. He did however, have a journal that was her mother's, which he gave to her.

Vella wanted more, but it seemed like that's all the mayor was going to tell her.

Damon would have liked to have helped Vella, but the mayor was wearing vervain, just like all the members of the Founder's Council.

Before heading home, Vella dropped by the hospital to ask for a leave of absence. She had never taken vacation before, so her superiors didn't have much of an issue with it, especially after Damon compelled various staff members into agreeing with her.

Vella found it highly amusing to watch Damon compelling people, though she wasn't sure why.

When they arrived back at the boarding house after running a few more errands, Damon and Vella went up to Damon's room to read the journal that once belonged to her mother, Vivian. They read it from front to back, but found no useful information.

Vella could sense there was more to the journal, but she didn't know what or why she felt that way.

Vella allowed Stefan and Elena to read the journal as well, but they didn't find anything either.

It wasn't until later that night, that Vella remembered something. She remembered about their family cabin, which she hadn't been to in a few years.

She wasn't sure what made her think of the cabin, or what the significance was, but she intended on finding out.

Vella was upstairs looking through some bags of her belongings that her and Damon had brought back from her house earlier that day, when she noticed something odd. Her jewelry box that her mother had given to her when she turned 16, was slightly cracked, which she assumed was the work of Lilith.

When Vella examined it more closely. she noticed an amber colored gemstone inside that she had never seen before.

Vella instantly knew what it was, it was the gemstone the vampires had been looking for.

Vella was ecstatic, it was one step closer to finding this tomb and ridding themselves of a vampire problem.

If only I had the parchment with the spell and directions, Vella thought.

The gemstone would be the only thing she found that night, however.

The next day, Vella, Damon, Stefan and Elena discussed what they thought they should do next. None of them wanted to jump into this blindly, it was too dangerous. So they all kept looking through Vella's belongings to see if anything else mysteriously showed up.

Vella spent the day reading spells in her mom's spell book. She had only ever cast one spell in her life, the spell to make Damon very interested in her. She even toyed with the thought of telling Damon about that, but she decided on waiting for a better time to tell him. It's not like the spell was still working, so what harm would it do to keep it a secret from him for a little while longer?

Vella wasn't a witch, but she had it in her blood. If she had really wanted to study, she would be able to cast the spells in her mom's book, but she had no inclination or desire.

After speaking with Elena about the spell book, Elena offered to take the book to her friend Bonnie, since she was a witch.

Vella didn't feel comfortable handing the book over to someone she didn't know, so instead Bonnie came over to the boarding house to look at it.

Bonnie couldn't find anything special with the book, but she did find an interesting spell inside. It was a spell that could cause someone to speak to a family member who had passed on in their dreams.

Bonnie had never heard of the spell before and was reluctant to try it, but Vella just felt that this was the right thing to do.

The girls didn't bother to tell Damon or Stefan what they were doing beforehand, they kept it between themselves.

They found a room in the boarding house that would serve their purpose and Bonnie cast the spell on Vella.

None of them were sure it worked, but they would know by the morning.

It was late when Damon and Stefan had returned home that night, so Bonnie and Elena stayed there overnight.

_Vella was standing in a small room with a few doors. She looked around but had no idea where she was. Normally she might have panicked not knowing where she was, but she felt safe and peaceful in this room._

_Suddenly her mother appeared in front of her. She moved closer but realized she couldn't touch her._

_"Sweet Vella I don't have much time," her mother began to say. "You must find the parchment before the vampires do."_

_"But where is it mom?" Vella asked._

_"It's in the family cabin, behind the painting in the main room," her mom answered._

_"What do I need to do?" _

_"You must destroy the gemstone and then cast the spell to open the door to the tomb. Then you must destory all the vampires within, it will be the only way the town will ever be safe. Too many family members of those trapped in the tomb still walk among you," her mom replied with a sense of foreboding._

_"But I can't cast any spells mom, I'm not a witch," Vella replied in desperation_

_"You may not have been taught any magic, but it IS in you. If you must, you will be able to, you just have to believe in yourself."_

_Vella's mother began to slowly fade away from sight._

_Vella cried out, "Mom, please don't go. You can't leave me"_

_As the image of her mother disappeared, she could hear her say. _

_"I must go now, I believe in you. Be careful and stay safe, my baby"_

_As Vella stood there in hopes that her mother would come back she heard her whisper, "I will love you no matter who you are with or what you become. Never forget that."_

Vella sat straight up in her bed gasping, suddenly wide awake. Could I have imagined that?

She looked around the room in the dim light of early morning, but everything seemed normal.

Vella startled Damon awake when she jolted upright. He looked at her with a confused but concerned look. "Are you okay?"

Vella grinned at him happily, "Yup. Sorry for waking you up."

Damon shook his head a little with a raised brow. "Why did you jump like that than?"

"Oh, that," Vella said. "I had a strange dream, it just surprised me is all."

Damon watched Vella jump out of the bed and run out of the room acting strangely.

Damon couldn't help but snicker at Vella before he followed her out of the room, she was only wearing her bra and underwear.

When Damon caught up to Vella, she was in the bathroom and seemed to have noticed she wasn't wearing much because she had put on the robe that was usually hanging in the bathroom.

"Seriously Vella, what's going on? Damon asked impatiently.

Vella turned around to face him. She was smiling but at the same time she had tears running down her face. "I will tell you in a bit, I promise."

Damon raised his eyebrow and was about to say something, than changed his mind. He figured Vella would tell him eventually. Instead, he went back to his bedroom to find some clean clothes to wear.

The sun was almost fully up when Vella came back into Damon's room. She still hadn't gotten dressed which excited Damon, he was feeling a bit frisky.

Damon walked up to Vella and brushed the hair away from her neck. He then leaned in to gently kiss at her exposed neck, which brought goosebumps to Vella's skin. Damon suddenly realized how thirsty he was and how bad he wanted to bite Vella right now, so he pulled away quickly.

"What's wrong, Damon?" Vella asked hurtfully. "Did I do something wrong?"  
Damon gave her a weak smile. "No my dear, you did everything right, thats the problem."

Vella's look turned from hurt to shocked and then began to blush a little. "Oh!"

Damon didn't want anything more than Vella right now. He picked her up, laid her carefully on the bed and began to kiss her passionately.

Vella was shocked at Damon's loss of self control, it almost scared her. She knew he would be hungry right now.

As Damon's kissing went back to Vella's neck, she pushed him away.

Damon looked right into Vella's eyes, he could see the fear inside her, which was all it took for him to regain control. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.

Vella looked at him with a forgiving smile. "It's okay, Damon. It just happened so fast I wasn't really ready."

"No, it's not okay," Damon said with regret. "I could have hurt you or even kill you, this isn't right."

Damon tried to get up from the bed but Vella kept a hold of him. "But you didn't hurt me. That's all that matters."

Damon's face suddenly turned to one of frustration. "You really don't realize how easy it would be for me to kill you, do you?"

Vella closed her eyes and then opened them before speaking. "I am completely aware of that fact, Mr Salvatore The thing is...it doesn't matter."  
Damon opened his mouth to say something, but Vella hushed him.  
"I mean it, Damon. I know you will never understand but if that's how I died then I would die happily, instead of...." Vella stopped herself before finishing the sentence.

Damon watched as tears began to spill from Vella's eyes. He really hated doing this to her, she was too good for him.

Damon lifted up her chin so he could look deep into her eyes. "I don't want you to speak of dying because I'm not going to let that happen."

Vella wanted to believe him, but she didn't. There were too many wicked forces at work to believe that. She had already resigned herself to the fact that she would be dying soon, all she wanted was to die happy and not alone.

Damon seemed to know exactly what she had been thinking, because he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "We have each other Vella and I'm not going to give that up so easily."

More tears began to spill from Vella's eyes, but this time happy ones. She knew he was no match for her destiny, but she wasn't going to argue.

They held each other for a short time, until Vella finally broke the silence. "I want you to take some blood from me, Damon. I can tell you are thirsty and you need it."  
Damon looked at her about to refuse, but she added, "And I'm not taking no for an answer."

As strong willed as Damon was, he wasn't any match for Vella. She seemed to know exactly what to say and do to influence Damon.

As Damon brushed the hair from Vella's neck, he could feel her shudder. Before he could go any further, Vella begged him to share his blood with her as well.

Damon wanted to refuse, but he wasn't thinking clearly any more. He bit his wrist and offered it to her.

As Vella took Damon's wrist, he pierced the skin in her neck with his razor sharp teeth.

What only took a few minutes, felt like hours to Vella, but the sun gave the time away. It had finally came all the way up and was shining into the room.

Vella and Damon laid in bed for a short while, until they heard someone walking down the hallway.

They both got out of bed, got dressed and headed downstairs.  
Stefan was in the livingroom when they walked in. He was reading the newspaper with a look of disdain.

Vella figured there must have been more attacks.

This has to end now. I can't allow more innocent people to get hurt.

Damon sat down beside his brother to see what was up, while Vella walked into the kitchen. She could already smell some food cooking.

Elena and Bonnie were busy making breakfast.

Vella felt guilty for not coming down sooner to help, which made her blush at the thought of why she hadn't.

When the food was done, the three of them sat down at the table and began to eat their breakfast.

Vella was famished, but found it hard to eat knowing what she needed to tell them all.

After they had finished eating, they cleaned up the dishes and decided to head into the livingroom to see what Stefan and Damon were up to.

When the three of them walked in the room, Stefan and Damon were huddled together using hushed voices, which suddenly stopped.

Elena and Bonnie sat down at the loveseat that was across from the couch that Stefan and Damon were sitting at, while Vella sat on a chair beside the couch, trying to avoid Damon's gaze.

Stefan let out a sigh and said, "There was another attack last night. This time there were five victims."

Vella felt a wave of guilt course through her. She had to stop this now.

Vella gathered up all the courage she could muster before she spoke.

"I have some more info." was all Vella managed to get out before she began to shake uncontrollably.

Damon got up from his seat and crouched in front of her. He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes.

Almost instantly Vella felt calm and was able to go on.

"I had a dream last night that my mother came to me," Vella began.

Bonnie and Elena exchanged knowing looks, while Stefan and Damon looked confused.

Vella explained to all of them what her mother had told her in the dream, making sure to mention the part about the spell Bonnie had cast for the benefit of Stefan and Damon, who didn't know anything about the spell.

After she was done, Vella added, "This has to be done right away, I can't live my life in fear anymore. I also can't allow more people in town to die."

The five of them began to discuss various plans, while each one made Vella's stomach feel more upset.

Vella tried real hard to be brave but she wasn't. She knew she was probably living the last day of her life and she wasn't ready for it to end, especially now.

It wasn't long before Vella felt physically ill. She ran from the livingroom, up the stairs, down the hall to the bathroom and began to vomit.

She heard someone coming down the hallway towards the bathroom and yelled, "Don't come in!"

The door swung open and Damon was beside Vella before she could even blink. She tried pushing him away but he wasn't going to move.

Damon grabbed a hold of her, looked her in the eyes and said, "Vella, this isn't helping. I told you I would protect you and I will."

Vella was shaking, crying, screaming and trying to get out of his grip. She was far beyond upset this time, she was inconsolable.

Damon did what he had to do to calm her down. He grabbed her more forcefully, forced her to open her eyes and compelled her.

By this time, Stefan had made it to the bathroom door. He ran in and grabbed Vella's unconcious body from Damon's arms.

"Damon!" Stefan yelled, "What the hell were you thinking?

Damon was squatting down with his head in his hands and he looked as if he was in pain.

Stefan ran quickly and placed Vella in Damon's bed and asked Elena and Bonnie to stay with her, while he went to talk to his brother.

When Stefan entered the bathroom, Damon was still in the same position.

Stefan walked over to his brother and put his hand on his shoulder.  
"Damon, what's wrong?" Stefan enquired delicately.

Damon took his hands off his face and flopped himself to the floor. He was staring as if he didn't notice Stefan was there.

Stefan did the only thing he thought might help and slapped Damon hard across the face.

The slap seemed to wake Damon up. He turned his head to face his brother. who had angry tears running down his face.

Stefan had never ever seen Damon so distraught. He wasn't even sure what to say to him.

Damon wiped the tears out of his eyes and turned to face his brother again. "It's Vella, she's so afraid of what's going to happen that I couldn't even compel her to relax. I think I tried too hard cause she passed out."

Stefan patted Damon on the back and tried to reassure him Vella would be okay.

"You don't know that for sure, Stefan!" Damon yelled.

"You're right I don't, but you need to stay strong for her...and for you."

Damon closed his eyes, he knew his brother was right, but he couldn't help himself.

After a quiet minute, Damon turned to his brother and asked, "How do you do it, Stefan?"

Stefan look at his brother with concern, "Do what?"

Damon looked at his brother with a mixture of doubt and gratefulness on his face. "Love. I love her Stefan and it's making me crazy. I have fought for so many years to keep these emotions from doing this to me again. And my humanity, I fought to keep that away too and now look at me!"

Stefan gave his brother a nod of understanding. After all, this is how he felt all the time with Elena.

Damon was afraid of something happening to Vella more than anything. He would never wish a vampire life on her, but he also hated how fragile a mortal's life could be. As much as he gloated about being able to protect her from anything, he knew it wasn't true and feared Vella saw through the act.

Stefan stood by his brother until he knew Damon was okay. As he was about to walk out of the room, Stefan turned around to ask his brother a question. "Damon, have the two of you shared blood again?

Damon looked at his brother shrewdly, which told Stefan all he needed to know. Stefan shook his head disapprovingly and walked out of the bathroom without another word.

Damon got up from the bathroom floor and splashed some cold water on his face. He wasn't quite sure what had gotten into him, but he was going to make it stop now.

Damon walked down the hall to his bedroom, to find Stefan, Elena and Bonnie all there in the room beside Vella's bed. She seemed to be resting peacefully, which made Damon feel a bit better. Bonnie and Elena turned and left the room quickly as Damon walked in, but Stefan stayed.

Damon gave his brother a look of irritation, but Stefan didn't leave. "What is it brother?"

Stefan wanted to say what he had to say to Damon as delicately as possible, but he didn't think he could. "You did this Damon. Obviously your bond with Vella is very strong, maybe too strong. I wouldn't advise doing it again, at least not until the danger has passed. Unless you intend on changing her."  
As Stefan was speaking, Damon's face became contorted by rage. He knew his brother was right, but he sure didn't want to be told off like he was a child. He wanted to hit his brother, make him pay, but he wasn't really mad at Stefan, he was mad at himself.

Stefan left the room to give his brother some privacy and to think over their plans for the tomb now that they knew how to get to it.

It was some time later, when Vella came down the stairs escorted by Damon. Everyone pretended that earlier had never happened, which seemed easier on everyone, and they went on making plans.

Vella was a little apprehensive about it all, but she trusted Damon and Stefan would be able to pull it off. She was feeling better after her freak out and subsequent nap, but not well enough to contribute much to the conversation.

They hatched out a final plan, and then the three ladies had some dinner since it was getting late. They had all decided to start early the next morning, so they all went to bed early, except the two brothers.

Stefan and Damon stayed up for a while talking, planning and then they went out hunting. Stefan for his usual diet of animal blood and Damon for his usual diet of human blood.

Damon tried convincing his brother to drink some human blood too, so he would be strong enough to fight these other vampires, but he refused.

After the brother's were finished hunting, they went back to the boarding house and got some sleep.

_**Please send me some feedback. I would like to know how far I should go with this story.**_

_**I still have many many ideas. Thanks for reading!**_


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 ~ The Cabin and the Tomb

There was an uncomfortable silence between everyone the next morning.

The ladies, Elena, Bonnie and Vella made breakfast in almost complete silence, only speaking to each other out of necessity. In fact, Vella hadn't really spoke to anyone since she had woken up from her nap the day before. They ate in near silence as well.

When they were finished, they went into the livingroom to see if Damon and Stefan were ready. The two brothers had already been out of the house and back that morning with some items they needed to destroy the vampires in the tomb.

Before they left the house for the cabin, Vella decided she didn't like the plan. "I don't think Elena or Bonnie should come with us."

While Stefan whole-heartedly agreed, Damon didn't and either did Elena or Bonnie. They all wanted to make sure these vampires would be destroyed also, so they weren't staying behind.

It had been years since Vella had been to her family cabin. It was always taken care of with her father's money, his will had seen to that, so she had no need to visit it, unless she had wanted to.

On the drive to the cabin, Vella was going through so many emotions. The cabin was the place she had been the happiest growing up. The place where her parents would take her fishing, swimming and even water skiing. The place where her family went to get away from the rest of the world. It was hard for her to face being there in so long, especially after all her new memories had surfaced.

As they drove up the long laneway to where the cabin was, silent tears began to roll down Vella's face. They were both happy and sad tears. She was finally resigned to the fact she was going to die and didn't think she could have picked a better place to have her life end.

The cabin wasn't big or fancy. It was a one storey cabin, with white siding and a forest green wooden door. There was a flower garden with a path through it leading up to the front porch.

The five of them walked up the laneway, up the path through the garden and onto the porch.

Vella took the keys from out of her purse and unlocked the door.

Vella, Bonnie and Elena all walked through the door, while the brothers stood at the entranceway, not sure if they would be able to go in.

"Oops, sorry," Vella snickered. "Damon and Stefan you are welcome here."

Damon and Stefan came in and closed the door and they all walked into the main room.

Vella saw the painting she needed to take apart to get the parchment, it was a painting of a happy family playing at the beach.

Tears began to flow down her face, but she didn't let it stop her. She pulled down the painting and flipped it over to see where she could begin to take it apart. There was a loose spot on one corner, which she tugged at until the backing began to rip. When she had ripped about half of the backing, she found what she was looking for, the parchment.

Vella pulled the piece of parchment out and began to unfurl it. It was what she had been searching for, the spell and the directions to the huge underground tomb.

Damon and Stefan went out to gather the fuel and torches to kill the vampires in the tomb, and Gabriel and Lilith as well if they tried to intervene. They brought the stuff out to where the tomb door was supposed to be according to the map, though they couldn't actually see a door.

Vella, Elena and Bonnie joined them out there a few minutes later, carrying the map and a bunch of wooden stakes, just to be safe.

Even with the map, it was difficult to find the actual door to the tomb. It was covered with rock, grass and weeds.  
After Damon and Stefan had moved all the rock and brush away, it was already mid afternoon.

It was time for Vella to do what needed to be done to open the tomb. She thought back to the words her mother spoke to her in her dream.

Vella first took the gemstone out of her pocket and threw it to the ground as hard as she could, where it broke into many many then started a small fire and sprinkled some water on the tomb and on the broken shards of the gemstone and began to recite the spell on the parchment, but nothing seemed to happen.

"I don't think I can do this," Vella uttered to the group.

Stefan was the first to say something. "You can do it."

And Damon said, "We believe in you."

Elena and Bonnie nodded in agreement.

Vella breathed a few deep breaths and began to try the spell again, but again nothing happened. Vella was becoming frustrated.

"Do you need me to help?" Bonnie offered.

Vella gave her a grateful look, but declined, she knew she had to do this alone, she just had to have faith in herself.

Vella cupped her hands as if she was about to pray and brought them up to her face and with her eyes closed. She breathed some more deep breaths and said a silent prayer.

Once Vella was relaxed again, she began to recite the spell. This time the door of the tomb began to open.  
It took about thirty minutes before the door was completely open, or at least open enough that Stefan and Damon could get down. By this time it was beginning to get dark, so Vella, Bonnie and Elena went back to the cabin to wait for Stefan and Damon. They would be back once they were done eliminating all the vampires in the tomb.

The three of them made something to eat and then they played some cards to kill time.

As it got darker, the mood in the cabin began to change to one of anxiety. None of them said it out loud, but they were all worried about Stefan and Damon. None was afraid more than Vella though. She knew that Gabriel and Lilith would be out and about now that it was dark, she just hoped they wouldn't find Stefan and Damon until all the vampires had been killed.

After a short while, Vella's anxiety got the best of her. She couldn't play cards anymore, even at the insistence of Elena and Bonnie. Instead she paced around the front door of the cabin unable to relax.

At one point Vella thought she saw movement outside, so she watched out the door intently, until she figured she had imagined it. As she was about to turn around to walk away, she saw movement again, but this time she knew it was real. Without thinking, Vella opened the door and ran outside.

Bonnie and Elena ran to the open door and yelled for Vella to come back.  
Vella turned back to the girls and yelled, "Don't leave the cabin no matter what happens. Promise me."

Bonnie and Elena promised Vella they wouldn't leave and then shut the door.

Vella ran in the direction of the figure she had seen run by the cabin. She had a suspicion about who it was and she needed to find out. She had ran as far as the clearance to where the tomb is before she stopped suddenly. Standing in front of Vella was a girl, a girl who looked very much like her when she was a teenager.

"Violet," Vella uttered in disbelief.

Violet stared at her sister with cold eyes. "Yes, sister, it's me."

Vella went to take a step forward, but the look on her sister's face made her back up instead.

Violet started walking towards Vella, while Vella was trying to run, but Violet was too fast. She ran right into Vella and knocked her on the ground and stood over her.

Vella looked up at her sister in disbelief. "What's got in to you, Vi?"

Violet looked at her sister with a look of hatred. "You did this to me! You did this!"

"Did what?" Vella asked confused.

"Look at me! Look at what I am!" Violet yelled while grabbing her sister by the hair, lifting her up slightly and forcing her head back.

Vella had tears running down her face from the physical and mental pain. She wasn't sure what was going on, until she saw her sister's face change, change into the face of a hungry vampire. Vella tried to let out a scream, but Violet grabbed her around the neck to stifle the sound.

Violet looked right into Vella's eyes, with the same look of hatred. "If you promise not to scream I will give you a chance to ask what it is you want to know...before I kill you that is."

All Vella could do was shake her head slightly in agreement, then Violet threw her backwards.

Vella fell back and hit her head off the ground, which stunned her momentarily. She sat up and looked at her sister, who's face now seemed normal. "Where have you been?"

Violet gave her a menacing look. "You know the answer to that, don't you?"

_"No!"_

"Yes you do, Vella. You remember, I know you do"  
_"No, i don't. Please tell me?"_

"Fine!" Violet yelled and then smacked her sister across the face.

The smack was so violent, it knocked Vella back a couple of feet. Vella tried fighting off the feeling of unconciousness that was trying to over take her. Her head was spinning and she couldn't make it stop.

Violet walked up to her and stomped on Vella's ankle, which cracked it in two.  
Vella screamed out in agony, unable to conceal how much pain she was in. She didn't understand why her sister was so angry with her. How could it be her fault she was a vampire? And how did she become one so recently? She was ten when she disappeared but she looked about sixteen now.

Violet squatted down beside Vella. The look on her face now was one of pleasure and fury. "Gabriel and Lilith, they took me that night sister. All you had to do was give them what they wanted, but you couldn't do that. So they kept me as a renewable food source for six years...until they accidentally killed me. That was two years ago. Now I am what you see before you."

Her sister's words overwhelmed her. Vella wasn't quite sure what to say, what to think. What a horrible existence she must have led. But how was it her fault?

"I didn't know, Vi. I swear to you. It was the Founder's Council, they told me you died. They brainwashed me into believing you were dead."

_"Liar!"_

Vella looked at her sister with pleading eyes, tears running down her face. "Please believe me. If I had known I would have done something, anything"  
Violet looked into Vella's eyes, probing, to see if she was lying. All she could see was the truth. Vella had no idea what had happened to her.  
Violet's face suddenly changed from hatred, to one of sadness. All these years she had been convinced that her sister didn't care.

Suddenly, out of the darkness, Gabriel and Lilith appeared. They both had ominous looks on their face, which frightened Vella deep down.

Violet ran to confront them about what she had learned.

"Why did you lie to me?"

Before Violet could react, Gabriel grabbed a long piece of wood that was on the ground and stabbed Violet right through the heart.

"NOOOOO!" Vella screamed.

Violet fell to the ground in a heap and ceased moving. She was dead.

Vella began to sob heavily. She hadn't got the chance to tell her sister she loved her and her heart was now heavy with regret.

Lilith ran over to Vella, grabbed her by the arm and began to drag her towards the tomb. "You are coming with us into the tomb. I couldn't have asked for a better meal for my family."

Vella looked towards the tomb and back to Lilith. She couldn't let them drag her into that tomb to be a vampire feast. She had to do something. Before she could think of anything, Damon appeared at the doorway of the tomb.

"Get away from her right now!" Damon yelled furiously.

Gabriel turned to face Damon with a look of enjoyment on his face. "She's coming with us into that tomb and you aren't going to stop us."

Damon stood at the doorway to the tomb thinking. He couldn't let anything happen to Vella, but he couldn't allow them in the tomb.

"She's going to die one way or the other, Damon Salvatore," Lilith mocked him with an evil smile. "Only you get to choose how that will happen."

Damon looked at Vella. He was desperate to save her but he didn't know how he could. He was strong and quick, but there were two of them.

As Damon thought this, his brother appeared behind him in the doorway of the tomb. "This is only going to end badly for you two," Stefan said directed towards Gabriel and Lilith.

Silence came over the clearing. The only sounds that could be heard were Vella's labored breathing and occasional whimper of pain.

"Don't let them win Damon, Stefan," Vella said bravely. "Whatever you do, don't let them in that tomb."

Damon and Stefan moved away from the doorway to the tomb towards Gabriel and Lilith, which momentarily distracted them.

It was the only chance Vella would get. Vella picked up one of the wooden stakes from the ground that they had dropped here earlier in the day. She then acted as if she was going to drag herself away from Lilith.

Lilith turned around to grab her, but Vella surprised her by stabbing the wooden stake right through her heart.  
Gabriel yelled, "NO!" and ran over to try and stop Vella, but it was too late to save Lilith, so he snapped Vella's neck, where she fell down, dead.

Damon and Stefan were horrified, but it didn't stop either of them from reacting quickly. Damon ran up behind Gabriel to grab him, while Stefan grabbed the stake Vella had used to kill Lilith, and put it through Gabriel's heart, he died instantly.

Damon crouched on the ground beside Vella, tears streaming down his face. "This can't be, this can't be," he cried.

Stefan walked up beside his brother, crouched down and put his ear against Vella's chest. He couldn't hear a heartbeat, she was dead. He looked at his brother with regret, which sent Damon into a rage.

"I promised her, I promised I would protect her, Stefan," Damon cried desperately.

Stefan put his arm around his brother, trying to comfort him, but Damon shrugged it off.

"NO! She can't be dead!" Damon yelled with rage and pounded his fists on the ground, tears still streaming down his face.

Stefan knew there wasn't anything he could do or say for his brother, so he just stayed there to lend his support.  
Damon turned to look at his brother with a confused and painful look on his face. "I don't understand. Why was she out here? Why did she leave the cabin?"

Stefan looked back at his brother with sympathy. "I don't know."

Damon stood up and began to pace, fists clenched, tears running down his face. It was a minute later when he noticed another body lying in the field.

He walked up to it to examine it. It had been a vampire, that he could tell, but who was it?

Stefan walked over to where his brother was to examine the body as well.

Damon began to think back to things Vella had said, when he realized who the dead vampire looked like, Vella. "I think this is, or was, Vella's sister."

Stefan looked at Damon with astonishment, but understood. That must have been the reason Vella had left the cabin and now they were both dead.

Damon walked back over to Vella's body and began to stroke her face. "I am so sorry, my love. I hope you will forgive me for breaking my promise."

The tears Stefan had been trying to hold back began to trickle down while listening to his brother. He had never seen him so distraught or heartbroken in a very long time. He hated to think how this was going to affect him.

Damon turned to Stefan, tears glistening his face. "I'm taking her back to the cabin. Can you clean up this mess?"

Stefan nodded his head slightly in agreement, he would allow his brother the time to be alone and grieve.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 ~ Rebirth

The sun was just beginning to rise, when Damon walked up to Vella's family cabin carrying Vella in his arms, tears glistening on his face.

He was met by Elena and Bonnie on the porch. They were stunned by the sight of Vella's lifeless body and more so by Damon's look of despair.

Damon didn't say anything to them as he walked by them and in through the door to the cabin. He walked past the main room and into one of the rooms, which was a small bedroom with a cot, two side tables and lamps. He gently placed Vella's body on the cot and covered it up with a blanket that was lying at the end of the bed. He stood there for a minute and then bent over and kissed her on the cheek and promptly left the room.

Elena and Bonnie were waiting in the main room when Damon came out of the bedroom.

Damon had his head down and didn't lift it to speak. "Please stay here with her. I have to go back and check on Stefan. He may still need my help."

Damon then walked out of the room and out of the house.

Elena and Bonnie looked at each other, too stunned to say anything. They both had silent tears running down their face. They walked in to the room where Vella's body lay and hugged each other, each grateful they were still alive. They let more tears fall as they hugged each other for support. They hadn't know Vella long or very well, but they knew her enough to miss her, especially for Damon's sake.

It was about fifteen minutes later, when Stefan and Damon walked in to the cabin.

Elena ran over to Stefan and gave him a big hug, she was glad he was safe. Stefan hugged her back almost too tightly.

Damon had a look of helplessness on his face. He was just standing in the main room with his head down.

Elena couldn't help but walk over to Damon and offer him a hug, which he took reluctantly.  
Stefan then walked up behind his brother and put his arm around him.

Bonnie suddenly felt like an outsider watching. She wasn't sure why later, but she walked into the room where Vella's body was, instead it wasn't a dead body because she could hear her moaning. Bonnie let out a scream, which brought everyone running to the room.

Sure enough they could all hear Vella moaning now and she was beginning to move a little as well.

Damon knelt down beside the bed to examine Vella. All the wounds she had were already healed, even the broken neck.

"Damon," Stefan said sternly.

Damon turned to look at his brother with a look of warning. "Shut up, Stefan. Not another word!"

Elena looked at Stefan, then Damon. "Is someone going to tell us what's going on?"

Stefan had a look of sadness on his face, only it was different from the one he wore when they thought Vella was dead.

Damon just turned his head away to face Vella, who was now trying to open her eyes.

"Oh my God!" Elena exclaimed. "She isn't, is she?"

No one wanted to say the words, but they all knew what was going on. Vella had shared enough of Damon's blood, that when she died she would become a vampire. It was Stefan who broke the silence first.

"I think you and Bonnie should take the car and go home and now," Stefan said to Elena.

Elena shook her head in disagreement. "I'm not leaving, Stefan."

Stefan knew when to argue with Elena and this wasn't one of the times. Instead, he turned to his brother with a furious look. "What did I tell you, Damon? You swore up and down this wouldn't happen and now what?"

Damon stood up and put his face very close to Stefan's. "I will take care of her, she won't be a problem."

"She better not be, Damon," Stefan said. "Because I don't think you can promise that."

Damon opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it. Instead he turned to see Vella trying to sit up in the bed. "Let me help you," he said as he helped Vella sit up comfortably.

Vella looked dazed, she could barely see in the room because the sun was too bright and it was giving her a headache.

As if he could read her mind, Damon got up and closed the curtains tightly, which Vella thanked him for.

Vella began remembering what had happened to her before she woke up in the cabin, which made her agitated.

Damon tried calming her down, but it didn't help, she was too distraught.

"What's going on?" Vella asked Damon quietly. "The last thing I remember is...stabbing Lilith through the heart with a stake."

Damon closed his eyes and then opened them again. He was trying to think of what to say, but he wasn't sure where to start. All he could do is look at Vella with remorse.

"Damon? Stefan? Someone tell me what's going on!" Vella demanded.

Stefan looked at his brother to see if he was going to answer her, but he could tell he didn't know what to say. He didn't think sugar coating it would help but he didn't want to blurt it out either. It was up to Damon to tell her.

Vella felt helpless and afraid. She couldn't understand why they weren't answering her. Or why her head hurt so much.

"Damon," Vella whispered. "You promised you would never lie to me."

Those words hit Damon like a bullet, affecting him so deeply. He had made many promises to Vella and had broke every single one of them. Why should this be any different?

Damon looked at her in the eyes and whispered, "You're dead."

Vella jumped back, startled by his words. How can I be dead? I'm right here talking to him. But suddenly, realization set in and Vella understood. She must have been killed and now she was a vampire.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Vella yelled with tears streaming down her face. "This can't be true. It just can't be!"

Damon pulled Vella close to hold her, with tears running down his face. He never thought he would regret anything in his life, but this he regretted very much. He had never loved someone so unselfishly, until he had met Vella, and now he wished he never had because it hurt way too much.

Stefan, Elena and Bonnie decided to leave the room to give Damon and Vella some privacy. The three of them sat on the couch together in the main room.

It was a few minutes before Vella was calm enough to speak. "What now?" was all she asked Damon.

Damon looked at her sadly and said, "You have about twelve hours to feed on human blood...or you will die."

Vella eyes went wide with shock. "I can't do that, no, I won't do that."

Damon looked at her incredulously. "But if you don't, you won't finish the transformation and you will die."

Vella looked Damon in the eyes so he would know she was serious. "Then that's what will happen, Damon. I won't live this kind of life."

"But, but, but..." Damon stammered.

Vella looked at Damon, he looked so sad and afraid. She didn't want this to happen, but it was for the best. She would have to make him understand. "It's for the best, Damon. You will see."

Damon's face suddenly turned from one of agony to one of fear and rage. "You can't mean that!" He said as he picked up the lamp off the side table and threw it against the opposite wall, where it shattered into many tiny pieces.

Stefan came running in the room almost instantly to see what was happening.

"What's going on?"

Vella looked at Stefan with pleading eyes. "I want to die, Stefan. Surely you can understand my position?"

Stefan knew exactly how she felt. There had been many days he had spent during his eternity wishing he would have died instead of changing. He looked at Damon, who still had a menacing look. "I do understand you, Vella, probably more than anyone. But you need to think this over, because once it's done, it's done."

Vella was surprised by Stefan's reaction. She thought he would have been on her side completely. This just confused her more. Her head was pounding so she couldn't think straight, but she was adamant about dying.

Damon couldn't take any more and stormed out of the room and out of the house so he could cool off. He knew he didn't have the right to ask her to live, but he didn't want to be without her...no he couldn't be without her.

Vella's head was pounding even harder now and she felt hungry and thirsty. She felt like her head was going to explode if she didn't eat something soon. She was doing her best to not think about her hunger though, knowing she must be hungry for blood, not food.

Elena came into the room to see if Vella needed anything, while Stefan followed right behind her. Vella told Elena she was fine, which Elena didn't believe for a moment. She wanted to help Vella, but she wasn't sure what she could do.

After much thought, Elena had figured out how she could help. "Vella?"

Vella looked up at Elena from the bed. "What?"

"If you decide not to let yourself die, I want you to take some of my blood," Elena replied.

"No!" Stefan and Vella replied simultaneously.

Elena gave Stefan a look that meant, shut up because you have no say, and then looked back at Vella. "I'm serious. I don't want you to die, Vella. You don't deserve that. So I want to help you...if you will let me."

Vella looked at Elena with a grateful smile. She really liked Elena. "I don't know about that, Elena. But thank you for your offer."

Elena gave her a nod, turned around and left the room, but Stefan stayed with Vella.

Stefan talked to Vella about the transformation to vampire with as much detail as possible, but also, with as little emotion as possible, he wanted Vella to feel free to make her own choice.

Vella listened to Stefan as intently as she could, while her head was throbbing so painfully. She felt angry, sad and confused all at once. She was now up from the bed, pacing back and forth by the curtained windows, trying to stay calm, trying to think clearly, trying to make a final decision. She thought she wanted to die, she couldn't live this cursed life, but she didn't want to leave Damon either.

Vella couldn't contain her rage anymore, she took the lamp that was on the opposites side of the bed from the one Damon broke, and threw it against the wall. While the sound of the breaking lamp was painful for her headache, she found it very satisfying, maybe too satisfying, she thought.

Stefan looked at Vella sympathetically. "Would you like me to leave you alone for a bit?"

Vella looked at him for a minute, trying to decide, then answered, "Yes."

Stefan gave Vella a sympathetic smile and left the room. He wanted to go find his brother and make sure he was ok, but first he warned Elena and Bonnie not to go into Vella's room while he was gone. When they agreed to do as he asked, he left the house in search of his brother.

Stefan found his brother, Damon, in the clearing where the tomb was located. He was just standing around the spot Vella had been killed, looking down sadly. As Stefan approached, Damon lifted his head slightly and then put it back down again. Stefan stopped beside his brother, looking down as well.

The two of them stayed like that for a few minutes, before Damon decided to speak. "How is she?"

"She's angry, but okay for the moment," Stefan said morosely.

Damon was relieved to hear she was okay. He was so filled with regret and guilt he didn't know what to do, what to say, what to think. All these emotions Damon hadn't felt since he was a mere mortal and he was out of practice, to say the least. He was too used to blocking out all of these feelings, it was so much easier for him that way.

"How can I help you, Damon?"

Damon looked at his brother with a curious look. "Don't help me, help Vella."

"Vella will choose her own path, Damon," Stefan replied. "Who are we to decide for her?"

Damon gave his brother a shrewd look, he knew his brother was right. He just didn't want to accept it. Was it just over a day ago they were together in his room, enjoying each other? Damon shook his head, he wanted to remember but he didn't. He swore he wouldn't hurt Vella and he did, but worst of all, he had known better and he couldn't help himself.

"I think you should be with her, Damon," Stefan said. "No matter what she chooses, she will want to be with you when she decides."

Damon knew his brother spoke the truth, but he was finding it difficult to even fathom facing Vella right now. She was so innocent in all of this and now she was hurting because of his choices.  
"And Damon," Stefan started, "Vella knew the risks too, didn't she? Don't shoulder all the responsibility yourself or it will...kill you."

Damon knew his brother was right, but at the same time wrong. Vella had been told the risks, but how could she have possibly understood the consequences? He had promised to keep her safe and she believed him, if she hadn't believed...

Stefan began to walk out of the clearing, while Damon followed a few steps behind him. As they approached the cabin, they could hear some yelling and what sounded like things being broken.

Without thinking, both brothers ran as fast as they could into the cabin. Elena and Bonnie were both standing in the main room with looks of fear on their faces.

Damon told Stefan to stay with the girls, while he went to check on Vella. As he entered the room, he was stunned by the destruction. Both side tables were smashed into bits, the mattress and boxspring were shredded into bits of foam and material, the springs and wood were in a pile with the frame and headboard of the bed. Vella was crouched in the corner of the room breathing heavily, rage contorting her face.

Damon walked over and crouched in front of her and put his hand on her knee. Looking directly into her eyes he spoke to her softly, "Vella, relax. Everything will be ok."

Vella looked at him like she hadn't understood a single thing Damon had said. But soon realization seemed to sink in and she began taking deep breaths.

When she was finally calm, she began to cry. All Damon could do was hold her and reassure her that everything would be fine, even though he knew it was a complete lie. Nothing would ever be fine for her again.

After Vella was calm enough to speak, she looked in Damon's eyes with determination. She wanted to know the truth and she was going to get it.

"Damon, I must know something before I make a final decision," Vella stated calmly.

Damon nodded his head gently. "Of course."

Vella looked at him with pleading eyes. "Do you really love me?"

Damon smiled at her, "How could you ask me that? Of course, I do. I would never lie to you about something as important as that."

"But do you love me enough...to love me for an eternity?"

Damon smiled at her lovingly, "I believe I do."

"So you aren't just asking me to live out of guilt or remorse?" Vella asked.

"Absolutely not!" Damon stated without hesitation.

Vella smiled and layed her head on Damon's chest. He always made her feel so safe, even now the voices in her head were receding. She looked up at him lovingly and said, "Then I have chosen to live...with you...forever."

Damon could only smile at her joyously. As painful as it was for him to think about the cursed life she was going to lead, he was happy she would still be alive, with him. To Damon, that's all that really mattered at this moment. The rest he could deal with at a later date.

**Okay, I am up to 18 chapters finished but only a handful of reviews. **

**I would appreciate some kind of feedback please. Good or bad.**

**Not sure when I will add the next chapter.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 ~ Transformation

After a few quiet moments together, Damon grabbed Vella by the wrist and dragged her out of the bedroom and into the main room where Elena, Bonnie and his brother were nervously standing around. "She's decided to live," Damon stated.

Stefan looked from his brother, to Vella and then to Elena. He was going to say something, but then fell silent.

Elena walked towards Damon and Vella apprehensively. "A promise is a promise," she uttered nervously.

Vella looked at Damon nervously. She really didn't think she could go through with drinking Elena's blood, even though she had little choice. "Are you really sure, Elena?

"Yes," Elena said adamantly.

Damon began to reassure Vella quietly. He promised to make sure she didn't really hurt Elena, though he was positive Stefan would step in before that even happened. He grabbed Elena by the wrist and offered it up to Vella's mouth.

Vella suddenly felt light headed. The scent of Elena suddenly smelled irresistable to her. Her whole body was screaming out for her to drink. As her mouth began to salivate, she could feel her fangs and her face changing. She closed her eyes to concentrate, just like Damon was instructing her to do, but it was so difficult, she had never wanted anything so badly in her entire life.

Vella took Elena's wrist and placed it against her lips. She could feel the blood flowing through it and smell the sweet aroma of her skin. She could feel her fangs. They felt like they were aching, aching to taste the blood beneath the delicate skin of Elena's wrist.

Before she knew it, Vella had pierced Elena's wrist with her fangs and was sucking as much blood as she could get. She couldn't have imagined anything could taste so good. The pain that had been in her head was lessening now and so was the aching she had in her jaw.

It hadn't been long, when Damon pulled Vella away from Elena.

Vella turned her back to everyone in the room and wiped the blood from her mouth. She tried to calm down so her face would return to normal, but it took a couple minutes of complete concentration before that happened.

By the time Vella felt more normal, Stefan, Elena and Bonnie had gone outside to give her and Damon some privacy.

"How are you feeling now?" Damon asked her.

Vella looked at Damon's face, which seemed to be more relaxed than it had been. "I'm feeling better, but..."

Damon tried coaxing her to finish the sentence. "But, what?"

"But...um..I'm still hungry," she said with shame.

Damon let out a hearty laugh, wrapped his arms around Vella in an embrace and swung her around. "That's normal, completely normal."

After Damon set Vella back down on solid ground, she looked at him questioningly. "How normal? Am I going to feel like this all the time?

Damon sighed. "Bad news is, yes. But good news is you will learn to cope with it."

"And how long will it take me to learn to cope?"

Damon wanted to lie to her and tell her it would be fine and how easy it would be to learn, but he couldn't lie to her. "It all depends on the will of the person."

It wasn't what Vella wanted to hear. She still wanted to live a real life, keep her humanity, like Stefan did, but she feared that would never happen. She wouldn't even be able to go out in the sun like the brothers could.

Tears began to well up in her eyes again. There were just too many things to think about. She just wanted the world to stop. Why did she ever agree to this?

Damon held Vella tightly, trying to reassure her. He just wanted to take her pain away, but he knew there wasn't really anything he could do.

After a few short minutes, Vella quit crying and seemed to be back to normal, if being a vampire was ever normal.

"So what's next, Damon? Where am I going to live?" Vella asked.

"With me in the boarding house," Damon replied without hesitation.

Vella looked at him strangely. "And Stefan won't have a problem with that?"

Damon snorted. "The boarding house is not just his, so he really has no say in the matter."

Vella smiled at Damon happily. She knew he didn't care what his brother thought, but she wondered what he was going to say about her lifestyle choice. She knew how Stefan chose to live his life, feeding on animal blood instead of human, but she didn't think that was going to be an option for her. She just wondered if she would be able to go back to her job as a nurse, having to deal with blood all the time might be a problem.

At her last thought, a small frown creased her face.

Damon wondered what she was thinking about, and was about to ask her when she volunteered the information.

"Do you think I will be able to go back to work?"

Damon looked at her with his most sympathetic smile. "I think you will, it might just be awhile before you can control your instincts though."

Vella figured as much, she just hoped that wouldn't be too long. She wasn't sure how long her job would wait for her.

Damon's face suddenly broke out in a devious grin. "I almost forgot, I have something for you."

Vella looked at Damon with a rasied eyebrow. "And what would that be?"

"Hold out your left hand," Damon commanded.

Vella gave Damon her hand reluctantly, unsure what he was about to do.

Damon held her left hand with his left hand and reached into a pocket on his jacket with his right hand. He took out what looked like a ring and slid it on to Vella's middle finger. "I took this ring off one of the vampires in the tomb. It's lapis lazuli, it will protect you from the sun like mine does."

Vella didn't think she liked the idea of wearing something that belonged to one of the vampires that had been locked in the tomb. It was their fault that her life had been turned upside and subsequently ended.

Damon saw the look that was on Vella's face, he was afraid she was going to reject it. "I promise I will get one made especially for you as soon as I can find someone who still makes them."

That statement changed Vella's mood considerably. She threw herself at Damon and wrapped her arms around him and began kissing him passionately.

Damon was the happiest he had been in a long time. He kissed Vella for a minute before he had to stop. He was now having trouble controlling himself. He apologized to her, but she understood. She wasn't able to control herself either and figured it was for the best.

Hand in hand, the two of them walked outside to see what the others were up to.

Elena and Bonnie were sitting on the porch talking, while Stefan appeared to be pacing around. The three of them looked surprised to see Damon and Vella walking outside together.

"Damon?"

"It's fine, Stefan." Damon said impatiently. "I took care of it so no need to worry your little head."

Stefan looked from his brother, to Vella and then to Vella's hand. He saw the ring on her finger and understood but was confused.

"Where..."

"The tomb," was all Damon answered, which left Stefan speechless. "Shall we go home now, brother?"

Stefan nodded in agreement.

The five of them got into the car, only this time Stefan sat in the back with Elena and Bonnie, since he didn't want to give Vella a chance to be tempted more than she already was.  
As they drove into town, they stopped to take Bonnie home and then dropped Elena off at her house as well, they figured it would be safer for her this way, and then headed back to the boarding house. Neither of them spoke a word to each other the whole way from Elena's house to the boarding house.

As they got out of the car, Vella studied the boarding house as if she was seeing it in a new light. This would now be her new home, until they had to move on. She sighed deeply and walked up to the door.

Damon held the door open for her and she tried to walk in, but she stopped at the invisible threshold. He had forgotten that it was Elena's second home, so he would have to invite Vella in now.  
Behind her Damon giggled and Vella turned around and slapped him on the shoulder.

_"Hey!"_

"Well that's what you get for laughing at me," Vella said and stuck her tongue out at him. "Are you going to invite me in or what?

Damon gave her a sly smile but just looked at her, which caused Vella to slap him again. He then took off running super fast into the forest surrounding the boarding house.

Vella chased after Damon at almost the same speed as he was going, which was new and exhilarating to her. She felt wild and free and was enjoying it.  
Eventually Damon got tired of being chased and went back to the boarding house to wait for her. Stefan was standing by the door waiting with his usual look of disapproval.

"Are you crazy, Damon?"

Damon looked at his brother angrily. "What have I done now?"

"How could you leave Vella running loose out there?"

"You didn't just ask me that, did you?"

Stefan shook his head in disapproval. "You seem to be forgetting what happened the last time we had a new vampire running around here?"

Damon snorted. "Are you seriously comparing Vella to Vicki?"

"No, of course I'm not, but that doesn't make Vella any less dangerous."

Damon's face was now disfigured by anger and rage. He ran up to his brother threateningly, when Vella appeared behind them.

_"Stop it!"_

Damon immediately backed down and stepped away.

Vella walked up to Stefan. "Stefan. I understand why you're worried and I don't blame you, but I don't want to hurt anyone needlessly. If I feel the need then I will let Damon know so he can help me...I swear that to you."

Damon was still angry, but Vella's words had calmed him down a little. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her towards the front door to the house. "Come on in," he uttered, dragging her into the house.

It was strange for Vella, being back at the boarding house. It had only been a day since her last visit here, but it felt much longer. And now this was the place she would call home.

"So what do you want to do or know?" Damon asked Vella curiously.

"Honestly, Damon. I would like to nap...until it's dark at least. Even with this ring the light is giving me a headache."

Damon put his arms around Vella and kissed her on the forehead. "That will take some getting used to."

"So are you going to nap with me?" Vella asked. "Cause I would like to be rested before you take me out hunting later."

Damon looked at her astonished. "You want me to take you hunting later?"

Vella rolled her eyes at Damon. "Of course. I'm hungry. I can't live on what I took from Elena, now can I?"

Damon began to chuckle. He was surprisingly amused. "Well I didn't expect you to say that is all. Of course I won't deny you. Rest up, then I will try and teach you how to compel so we can hunt...safely."

Vella begged Damon to come up to bed with her, but he knew he would be too much of a temptation for her and she needed her rest right now. He also didn't think he could resist her. As angry and upset as he was with himself, he was pleasantly surprised at her attitude towards it all. He decided to lay down on the couch and rest and in no time he was fast asleep.

**Please leave a review so I can see how everyone is liking the story.**

**New chapter will be up in a day or two.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15 ~ Baby Steps

Vella woke up a few hours later feeling energized.

She got out of bed and looked out the window. A sliver of the moon was just barely rising out of the east, and the surrounding trees were blanketed in darkness.

Reflecting on the darkness made Vella's instincts kick in. She could feel her insatiable hunger crying out to be fed, but it wasn't the only thing she was feeling.

Vella bounded down the stairs as graceful as a cat in the darkness, where she saw Damon lying on the couch. Suddenly she was feeling more frisky than hungry.

Vella walked over to Damon as quietly as she could. He was laying with his head on the arm of the couch. Vella began to run her fingers through his hair, and then down the side of his face. She couldn't resist him right now, even if he was asleep. She bent down to kiss him on the side of the neck, but instead she sunk her fangs into his neck without thinking.

Damon jumped up from the couch, pushing Vella off of him. He wasn't fully aware of what had just happened, he was still pretty much asleep.

Vella just stared at him and started to laugh.

Damon glared at Vella, he wasn't sure what was so funny, but her laugh was so contagious that before long he was laughing too.

Stefan had been sitting on the other side of the room in the shadows. He looked at Damon and Vella with displeasure. "I thought you had her under control, Damon?"

Damon turned around and glared at his brother. "Who asked you?"

Vella rolled her eyes, she just felt like having fun right now, why was that so wrong?

Damon could see by the look in Vella's eyes that she was about to rage, so he ran over and spoke to her calmly. She calmed down almost immediately, which shocked both Damon and Stefan.

"I'm sorry," she said apologetically. "I just wanted to have some fun."

Damon reassured her she hadn't done anything wrong. He wasn't angry with her, in fact he was kind of excited by her playfulness.

Vella was a little frustrated with herself. She didn't understand why she kept letting her impulses control her, it wasn't like her at all.

"Vella," Stefan called. "I'm sorry I acted so harshly, I didn't mean for it to come out like it did. I just want my brother to realize he needs to take care of you. I know you would be angry with yourself if you hurt someone accidentally It usually takes some time before you can effectively control yourself."

Vella agreed with him. As much as her desire for blood was controlling her, she still knew she didn't want to hurt anyone.

Stefan figured he got his point across, so he went up to his own room to give them privacy.

Damon was happy to see his brother leave, he didn't want to share his time with Vella right now. He had planned to teach Vella to compel before they went hunting, but he didn't think she was really in the mood for it.

Vella's head was beginning to ache again and her throat felt like it was on fire. All she wanted to do was feed and now. "Damon, can we please go now?"

Damon wanted nothing more than to hunt with her right now. She had awakened something inside him he had never felt and it was like a drug, he wanted more. But he had promised to take care of her and make sure she didn't hurt anyone, and he didn't break his promises. He did his best to prepare Vella for all she needed to know before they went out, he hoped.

After Damon was sure Vella was fully prepared, they got ready to leave, only Stefan was waiting for them at the front door.

"Please, Damon. I don't think you should do this now," Stefan pleaded with him. "Why don't you just go and get some blood from the blood bank instead?"

"It will be fine, brother. You will see," Damon answered as he and Vella walked out the door and into the barely lit night.

Damon and Vella ran hand in hand through the forest surrounding the boarding house. They both felt so wild and free, no cares in the world. They ran until they got to the road on the other side of the forest, then they walked.

Vella was exhilarated from the run and the thrill of the hunt. She desperately wanted to find some food, the sooner the better, she was already feeling out of control.

While the two of them were walking by the road, they heard some voices in the distance. As they approached the spot where the voices were coming from, they saw them, two teenage boys and they were having an altercation. One boy already had a bloody lip and the other had a black eye.

Vella was suddenly more alert than she had ever been. She could smell the blood, making her salivate. Her face had also changed and her fangs were ready.

Damon grabbed a hold of Vella's wrist. "Relax, love. You don't want to kill them, remember?"

Damon's voice rang in Vella's head. Yes, she remembered she didn't want to kill them, but she was so thirsty, she couldn't help herself.

Damon grabbed a tighter hold of her, instructing Vella what to do. He was desperately hoping he hadn't taken on too much with her. But Damon's voice seemed to be enough to help Vella regain some of her composure.

When she was ready, Vella ran to where the shortest boy stood and bit him in the neck. As her fangs pierced his neck, she felt herself succumbing to all of her instincts. It was taking a lot of concentration not to just rip out his neck and kill the boy. She suckled at the neck wound until Damon told her it was enough, then she let him fall to the ground.

The boy was weak and dazed, but lucid enough to know what had happened. Damon stared into his eyes and compelled him to remember something completely different.

Damon had been holding the taller boy, while Vella was drinking. He hadn't wanted to be distracted while she was feeding, just in case. Before Damon decided to feed, he asked Vella if she still needed more. He remembered how insatiable your thirst could be when you're a new vampire.

Vella told him to go ahead, she felt fine now. The voices in her head had quieted into nothing more than background noise. She watched Damon drink the kid's blood, which she found strangely erotic. She then tried to compel the kid, but she didn't have all the nuances down yet, so Damon had to finish the job.

They promptly left from the area and headed back, hand in hand, towards the boarding house.

Stefan was waiting in the livingroom when they arrived home.

"Before you ask, Stefan," Damon said, "She did very well, almost too well for a beginner. No one was permanently hurt."

Stefan let out a sigh of relief and left to go to bed without another word.

Vella was still feeling exhilarated by the hunt and she wasn't sure what to do with herself. She looked at Damon, thinking back to their hunt and how turned on she was. So she convinced Damon to go up to his room and have some fun until the sun came up.  
They made so much noise, Stefan wasn't able to sleep so he left the house early that morning.

As the next few weeks went by, Vella mainly spent her time learning to control her instincts. She didn't go out too often in the daytime, at least in the beginning, but as time went by she had to get used to it. Her plan was to go back to work and live a normal life, until people began to notice she wasn't aging, then she would have to move on. By then, the Salvatore brothers would also have to move on again as well.

Vella had been hunting on her own and perfected the art of compulsion, which made her teacher, Damon, very proud. Even Stefan was astonished by her progress, even if he disagreed with her choice of food. She seemed to have been made for the vampire life.

Her relationship with Damon was still going strong as well. While they enjoyed their time together, they had already gotten past the whole, spend every minute of the day together and were able to have a life beyond.

While everyone thought things were going well for Vella, deep down she was still hurting. She had gotten past the hated and anger she had about being killed, but what she hadn't gotten over was the death of her sister. She had learned in life how to hide things from those closest to her and she was continuing the habit in death, only it was so much easier as a vampire who could turn their emotions on and off like a switch. Even Damon didn't know the pain she was feeling, which took alot of excess energy to conceal from him. She didn't like keeping things from him though, she knew she would have to tell him eventually.

As it got nearer to the day she was supposed to go back to work, she began to get really nervous. She was afraid she wouldn't be able to control herself around blood, which she would be around constantly since she was a nurse. Damon however thought she would do just fine, as long as she fed every day, at least that's what he told himself.

When the day came she was going back to work, Vella decided to follow the routine she used to, only leaving out the eating breakfast part. She made coffee, read the paper, showered and got dressed, but something seemed to be missing and she couldn't figure out what it was. She shrugged it off and drove into town, stopping to spend a few quiet moments at the park alone.

Her first day back at the hospital ended up being pretty uneventful, until just before she was about to go home. There was a huge industrial accident and the emergency room was so busy, they called Vella down to help out. She wanted to refuse but couldn't think of any reason good enough for them to believe, even if she compelled them to believe it. So she took a minute to prepare herself and headed down to the ER.

The ER was in complete chaos when Vella arrived. There were people with cuts, scrapes, burns, broken bones and head injuries.

Vella did her best to avoid anyone with any sort of cut or scrape, but it was almost impossible. So she did what she had to do, which she realized was actually easier than she thought it would be. It wasn't until she was asked to help on a serious case and ended up with a whole lot of blood on her clothing, that she really had a problem.

Why did I think I could do this? she thought to herself. I must be some kind of masochist.

Vella ended up surving the whole night without having her face change once and without having to escape to the washroom. She figured the only way it didn't bother her was because of the years she had been working around blood. But on the other hand she figured that maybe it was the thrill of the hunt that was more enjoyable. Either way, she was happy to have survived without having to compel anyone.

As Vella left the hospital and headed for her car, Damon was waiting outside for her. It was dark but she could see as clearly as it was day. She couldn't help but smile at seeing Damon waiting for her.

"I see you survived," teased Damon.

Vella rolled her eyes. "Yes, but barely."

Damon squinted his eyes at her in a teasing way, "Come on, was it really that bad?"

"Uh, yeah actually it was. I was called into the ER tonight because of a huge industrial accident," she said with a sigh. "I'm just glad it's over."

As Vella came closer to embrace Damon, his face began to change.

"Oh shit! I'm sorry!" Vella exclaimed. "I forgot to change my clothes and they're covered in blood."

Damon backed away from her startled. He couldn't understand how she could have that much blood on her clothing, yet not be affected by it.

Vella started to giggle a little at Damon's reaction. She knew it wasn't really funny, but she couldn't help herself.

Damon gave her a dirty look. "Okay, you will have to drive home alone, unless you change your clothes."

She could tell Damon was very frustrated but she was in a goofy mood and wanted to play with him. "You mean I will have to drive home all alone, however will I handle that?"

Damon realized he wasn't going to get anywhere with Vella when she was in this kind of mood, so he ran off towards home to wait for her.

When Vella got back to the boarding house, Damon was waiting for her. She gave him a rushed _"Hi."_ and ran past him up to the bathroom to clean her clothes and bathe. She took her clothes and cleaned them in the sink with water and bleach, she thanked Stefan in her mind for being such a neat freak, and then had a quick shower. She would have to remember to bring a change of clothes to work from now on.

Vella wore her robe to Damon's room and found a change of clothes, then went down to the kitchen to grab a beer.

Damon had followed her into the kitchen after she had sat down at the table. He went and grabbed a beer as well and sat down beside her, not saying a single word.

The two of them sat in silence for awhile, neither was sure what to say about what had happened. It was when Stefan came in the room that they spoke.

"I don't know how the hell you did that, Vella," Damon said with pure amazement.

Vella shrugged her shoulders, she wasn't quite sure either.

"It's the craziest thing I have ever seen, seriously!"

"I have a few theories, but I have no clue either, Damon," she said.

Stefan looked from one of them to the other, curiously. "How did work go, Vella?"

"Um, fine, thanks for asking, Stefan."

"More than fine, brother!" Damon exclaimed. "She was covered almost head to toe in blood and it didn't even bother her."

"What?" Stefan exclaimed.

Vella shrugged again, she wasn't sure what they wanted her to say.

Damon looked at her strangely. "Aren't you hungry?"

Vella let out a snicker. "Actually I'm starving."

Damon and Stefan looked at each other astounded. Neither could believe their ears.

"Okay, boys, I think thats enough!" Vella said irritated.

"You have to understand that we are both just shocked, Vella," Stefan said. "We have never heard of anyone with that much self control."

Vella sighed. "Well I think alot of it had to do with me being a nurse for awhile and wanting to help people. I honestly can't see myself taking advantage of people I have sworn to help. And...I think I rather enjoy the thrill of the hunt."

Damon looked at Vella with a mix of astonishment and approval. He had a feeling Vella would keep him on his toes for a long time to come.

Stefan was completely shocked. Never had he seen or heard of anyone with that kind of self control, especially someone so new to being a vampire. But he had to admit, he never knew any former doctors or nurses who had been changed either. Maybe he didn't have to worry too much about her after all, and then just maybe, she would rub off on his brother, for the better. At least he could always hope.

Later on that night, Vella and Damon went hunting together as they usually did. But when they got back, instead of going up to their room, they stayed in the livingroom and talked until the sun began to come up. Then they went up to their room to sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16 ~ Revenge Plans

As the days and weeks went by, life got pretty routine for Vella. It was almost like nothing in her life had changed, except for being so crazy in love with Damon. And while it seemed to everyone that she was handling her new life well, Vella knew otherwise.

As each day went by, her anger towards the Founder's Council became stronger. She so desperately wanted to rip everyone of them limb from limb and watch them die a slow, painful death. These were feelings she couldn't control.

Whenever she had some quiet time to herself, she would think of ways to take her revenge on them.

While she didn't have any definite plan yet, she knew she was going to do something and soon. She wasn't going to let anyone stop her either.

It was all she could think about lately.

Damon, on the other hand, was almost like another person these days.

With a mostly cheerful disposition and a spring in his step, his brother and just about everyone else, couldn't believe the change that Vella's love had had in him. In fact, some days, Damon couldn't believe it himself.

When Vella realized that Founder's Day wasn't far away, she knew that was the day she needed to take revenge.  
That would send a message to those bastards.

The only part of the plan she was having trouble with, was what she was going to do to keep Damon and Stefan out of her way.

Neither of the brothers had any idea that Vella was planning revenge on anyone, let alone the Founder's council. She knew neither of them could never find out or they would stop her and she couldn't allow that. Vella had even been cutting back her hours at work so she would have the time to plan. She would drive to a quiet, secluded location and sit in her car with her notebook, pens, laptop and her mom's spell book to plan. Her humanity was slowly slipping away, but she didn't care about that now. It was her obsession, her raison d'être, even Damon didn't matter as much to her at this moment in time. She just knew it was wrong to hide what she was doing from him, but she couldn't help herself. She just hoped beyond hope that he would forgive her in the end.

It was about a week before Founder's Day, when Damon decided to give Vella a surprise visit at work.

When he got there, he was told that Vella wasn't even scheduled for that day.

Damon was confused. Why would she lie to me about going to work?

Damon took off as fast as he could go, jumped in his car and went looking around for Vella.

He had been driving around for about 10 minutes, when he realized she should be pretty simple to find since she was a vampire now. It had only been about two months and Damon still forgot sometimes. Or was that regretted it so much he preferred not to think about it?

Damon eventually found her car parked by the river on the other side of Wickery Bridge.

As he approached her car, he saw she was on her laptop, but she closed it before he could see what she had been looking at.

Vella, of course, could hear him coming so she had stashed her notebook away quickly and closed her laptop.

Damon walked up to the passenger side, got in the car and shut the door.

"Well, hello Damon."

Damon looked at her shrewdly. "Just hello?"

"What more do you want?" she said teasingly.

Damon gave her a look that said I'm not in the mood to play. "Why did you lie to me?"

"About going to work?"

"Yeah. That."

Vella had already practised what she would say if he had found out, it was just making it sound like it wasn't a lie.

"I needed a day off work. I am going to sell my house so I was googling for a real estate agent."

It wasn't a complete lie though, she was thinking of selling her house. She just didn't have time for that right now.

"That explains what you are doing, but not why you lied to me?"

"Technically I didn't lie to you. I said bye and left and you assumed I was going to work."

Damon wasn't sure what had gotten into Vella the past few days but he didn't like it. What happened to the easy going, spirited, fun woman he knew?

"You can mince words all you want but you lied to me, end of story."

Vella could tell by the evil eye he was giving her that he was really angry. She was trying to decide if she should just apologize and make it up to him or not. She decided on not.

"So I lied, big deal. Do you always tell me where you go, what you do and who you're with?"

What the hell is wrong with her?

"If you are trying to tell me something, just say it, Vella."

It was killing her to push him away, but it was the only way she would be able to accomplish her revenge.

Vella sighed. "I'm sorry, Damon. I just needed some time to myself. It's only been two months and I'm still struggling."

Damon's face turned from angry to one of sadness, regret and guilt.

"I lived alone for years and now I'm living with you and your brother and more often than not lately, Elena. It's just hard. On top of it, work has been a real bitch lately. I just needed some time to myself in a peaceful place."

Damon leaned over and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I'm sorry. I just wish you would talk to me about these things."

"Everytime I do you give me that look."

"What look?"

"That one! The one that says I'm sorry I did this to you, I'm sorry you're a vampire. Then you apologize for not being able to protect me, blah, blah, blah."

Damon did feel sorry. but it was only because he loved her so much. He hated to see her humanity slipping away when he knew how much she valued it. He also hated to think what she might be like without her compassion and humanity. He was in love with the human Vella...

"Is this why you have been spending so much time over at Elena's house?"

Vella rolled her eyes. "I have been helping the girls out with their float for the Founder's Day Parade."

It wasn't a complete lie, she was helping Elena, Bonnie and Caroline with their float but also gathering information.

"I thought you said you weren't going to go?"

"I didn't say I was going. I was just helping out." Vella was surprised how easy it was beginning to get to lie. "Besides, Jenna has been out with Alaric most nights lately and with Elena busy, Jeremy has no one to keep an eye on him."

Damon snorted. "He's old enough to look after himself."

"True, but the last time he tried to cook something other than mac and cheese, he almost burnt down the house."

"Well if that's how you want to spend your time than that's up to you."

"You're right, it is. You're just pissed Jeremy doesn't like you anymore."

Damon was the one who rolled his eyes this time. "Do you think I care? I don't."

Vella hated when he talked like that. She knew it wasn't true, but he really hated to admit it.

As she looked at him she began to feel guilty. She desperately tried to turn the feelings off, but she was having a difficult time. So she decided to do whatever she could to distract him.

In a blink of the eye, she was out of the car and standing in the doorway to the passenger side. She grabbed Damon by the hand, yanked him out of the car and threw him on the ground, kissing him passionately. Vella knew it was a dirty trick, but it was also fun.

After they were done fooling around, they drove back to the boarding house. Damon went and grabbed a beer and Vella went up to their room to lay down.

She plopped herself down on the bed, which hadn't been made that morning, and cuddled up to the pillows. Her intention was just to think, but she ended up falling asleep for a few hours.

When she opened her eyes a few hours later, the sun had almost set. Damon must of heard her stirring because he was standing in the doorway.

"Did I tire you out earlier?" he asked with a grin as he approached the bed.

Vella smiled at him happily. "I guess you did, but I'm not complaining."

"Good, because I don't take criticism too well you know."

Vella began to laugh and threw a pillow at him.

"That's childish," he chided.

"But this isn't," she said as she pulled him down to the bed and began biting at his neck.

As desperately as Damon wanted Vella, he was beginning to think she was playing games with him and he didn't like it one bit.

He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her head up so he could look directly in her eyes. "What's going on with you?"

Damon let go of her hair and got up off the bed, while Vella sat straight up.

"I don't know what you mean?"

Damon gave her a look, opened his mouth as he was about to say something and thought better of it. Instead he walked downstairs to grab a drink.

Vella sat in the bed until she heard Damon sit down in the livingroom with a drink. She then got up, walked downstairs, trying to summon all the strength she had to do what she needed to do.

She was happy Stefan didn't seem to be around, it would have just made what was about to happen a whole lot more difficult for her.

Vella put a pained look on her face before she spoke. "Damon, I'm really quite tired of this."

Damon raised his head up to look at her, swishing his drink around in his glass. "This, what?"

"Your attitude with me lately."

"Seriously, Vella. My attitude?"

Vella could tell by the look on his face her plan was working. She just hoped it wouldn't work too well.

"Yes, YOUR attitude. You like to think you are the only one with problems, but you aren't. You have had 145 years to get used to this life, how long has it been for me, two months?"

"Is that all that's going on with you, or is there more?

Vella was actually beginning to get angry for real.

"Would you be happy if there was more? Really?"

Damon instantly regretted the words as soon as they escaped his mouth.  
His face began to change from anger to shame as he spoke. "Of course not."

"There is tons more. Does that make you happy? I just don't feel like talking about it with you right now!"

Damon opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off.

"This week is a tough one for me. I am pissed at the Founder's council and you know exactly why!"

As she spoke her voice got louder. "My mom was an important part of these celebrations every year before she died! She protected this town and what did that get her? Dead! She's dead because of all of them and their damn secrets!"

Damon reached out to touch Vella, to try and soothe her rage, but she pulled away.

"You can't make this okay, Damon. Don't even bother trying. Not so easy when you can't compel me huh?"

Damon could definitely agree with that. He had never seen Vella this upset ever. If only he could calm her down.

"And you know what else I blame them for? Me! I died because of them and their stupid lies."  
Vella had been yelling so loud, neither her, nor Damon had heard a car approach the house. And now someone was knocking at the door.

Vella walked to the front door and opened it. To her disgust, it was Sheriff Forbes.

"What the hell do you want?"

The sheriff looked at Vella with surprise. "Excuse me?"

Vella summoned all the strength she had to keep herself from killing her right on the spot.

"You heard me."

The sheriff shrugged off Vella's attitude. "I'm here to speak with Damon."

As Damon appeared behind Vella, the sheriff gave Vella a shrewd look which caused Vella to give her an equally evil look.

"Excuse me a second Liz," Damon said as he grabbed Vella by the wrist forcefully and dragged her into the livingroom.

"This is not the time for this Vella and especially not in front of her. You know the council suspects something is going on with you already."

Vella pulled her arm away and walked upstairs, leaving Damon watching her departure with shock.

She sat on the bed upstairs, listening to the conversation between Damon and the sheriff. It came as no shock to her. Because of Damon's 'loyalty' to the Founder's council, they want him to be part of the parade and festivities with the rest of the council.

Damon's acceptance of the invitation made Vella hurt in the pit of her stomach. She was trying to fight back the anger and rage that was developing once again. She didn't want to not feel anything though, as easy as it would be to do. Not feeling human was a strange concept to her, one she didn't enjoy one bit. In fact, it was the only thing she was afraid of as a vampire was to lose her humanity and she felt it slipping already.

When Vella heard Damon close the front door, she began packing up her stuff from the room.

Damon could hear Vella packing so he ran up the stairs to talk to her. As he walked to the entranceway, Vella was grabbing clothes out of the dresser.

"What are you doing?

"I'm packing."

Damon rolled his eyes slightly. "Well I can see that. But why are you packing?"

Vella paused what she was doing for a moment and closed her eyes. She wanted to choose her words carefully. When she turned to face him, she opened her eyes and spoke softly.

"I'm sorry, Damon. I just need some space right now."  
"Where are you going to go?"

"I'm going home."

Damon was taken aback by her statement. It was only a few weeks ago she swore she would never step another foot in her house, except to pack it up.

"You're just mad, Vella. It will pass."

Vella turned her back to him and began grabbing clothes once again. "That's the thing Damon, I'm not just mad. It's something much more than that."

Damon walked up behind Vella and put both his hands on her shoulders. "I know."

"That's the thing though Damon, you don't. You don't have any clue," she said as she broke free of his hands.

Damon watched as Vella walked towards the door.

"Wait!"

Vella stopped and turned around. "What?"

"Please don't go."  
"Damon..."

"No, listen."

Vella sighed. "Fine."

"Just stay here, at the boarding house. There are lots of rooms, you can stay in one of those..."  
"But..." Vella interrupted.

"I swear to give you your space. And I will make sure my brother and everyone does as well. Just don't go," Damon pleaded with her.

Vella didn't want to go to her house, he had been right about that. She just needed to keep him away for a short time. She figured another room in the house could work just as well.

"Okay. But I need your promise first. To give me the space I need for as long as I may need it."

Damon nodded his head in agreement. "I promise."

With that, Vella walked down the hallway to find a suitable room.

She found one near the end of the hallway that she liked. The room had a huge four poster bed made of walnut she instantly fell in love with. It was one of the smaller rooms of the house, but that suited her just fine. She just needed a private sanctuary of her own.

Vella flopped her belongings down on the bed and began putting them away. When she was finished, she walked to the window and looked out. She was pleasantly surprised to see she had a great view of the town, though barely noticeable through all of the trees, she was pleased any way.

She stood by the window for a long time, lost in her thoughts.

_Vella was standing at the doorway to her bedroom. It was nighttime and she was supposed to be in bed, but she could hear many voices coming from her livingroom. She knew she shouldn't allow her curiosity to get the best of her, but she just couldn't resist._

_She walked down the long hallway and crouched down near the top of the stairs. She could partly see what was happening down in the livingroom._

_Her mom, Vivian, was there with two women and a man and they were standing over someone who was laying on the couch. She couldn't see who it was but everyone seemed to be very upset._

_It wasn't more than a minute later, when one of the women turned around. Vella realized she knew the woman as Mayor Lockwood's wife and she had tears in her eyes. The man turned around to put his arm around her shoulder. She knew him too, it was Mayor Lockwood._

_Now that they had stepped away, Vella could see the person on the couch was a small boy, maybe only a few years old. He didn't look right to Vella, but from this distance she couldn't see why. But almost as if on cue, he began to thrash around on the couch making strange noises and looking as if he was trying to claw at something invisible, his face contorted by some kind of blinding rage._

_The mayor and his wife, turned their attention back to the boy._

_"Can you do something about this, Vivian?" asked the mayor._

_Vivian looked at the mayor with a worried look on her face. "I can't be sure, but I will try."_

_"Please, please save my boy," begged the mayor's wife, tears running down her face._

_Vella's mother walked over to the cabinet that held her spell book. By magic, the book flipped open to the page she was looking for._

_Vella was looking back and forth from her mother, to the poor boy on the couch, wishing she knew what was wrong with him._

_"Is this because of the full moon, Vivian?" asked the mayor._

_Vivian nodded her head at him silently and began to chant in a strange mystic language._

_Vella suddenly felt chilled to the bone. She had seen her mother perform spells before, but this one seemed different to her somehow._

_All of a sudden, the livingroom was filled with a light so bright, it was as if the sun had exploded inside the house._

Startled by someone knocking at the door, Vella was suddenly aware she had been daydreaming about her past, something she hadn't remembered about until now. The memory of her mother had brought tears to her eyes, which she wiped away while walking to see who was at the door.

She opened the door to find Stefan standing there.

"What do you want?"

"Can I come in for a minute?" Stefan asked.

Vella backed away from the door, let Stefan walk in and shut the door and promptly crossed her arms and gave him a menacing look.

"I just wanted to know if you were okay."

Vella could hear the genuine concern in his voice, which made her feel badly, but she knew she couldn't let that distract her, she had to keep Stefan away from her as well.

"I'm fine. If that's all you need to know then leave, NOW."

Stefan wasn't going to give up that easily though.

"You know I consider you a member of my family, don't you, Vella?"

Damn, she thought, This was going to be harder with Stefan. He didn't have the same attachment to her that Damon did.

"Let me tell you the same thing I told your brother. I am fine, I just need some space is all. All any of you have done since I became a vampire is hover around me making sure I wouldn't kill anyone. I haven't, I won't. I just need some time now to work through some things, ALONE."

Stefan could sense there was much more she wasn't telling him or Damon, but he didn't want to push her too far, she seemed too unstable.

"If you need someone to talk to..."

Vella ran at Stefan and grabbed him by the throat before he could finish his sentence. Her eyes were dark and filled with rage.

"Get out!" she yelled as she threw him slightly backwards.

Vella had surprised Stefan so much by her actions he hadn't even had time to react by the time she had flung him backwards.

He had fallen back a bit but stayed upright, now staring at Vella with a shocked look on his face.

Vella stared back at him so evilly, it chilled Stefan.

Stefan decided it wasn't worth it to say anything else and promptly left the room and went downstairs.

Vella listened intently while he told Elena not to go near her at all for awhile, before he heard them walk out the front door.

Turning around, Vella walked over to the bed and sat down. She was beginning to feel extremely guilty about what she had just done, so she turned it all off. She figured it would be safe not to feel anything for a short time.

Her thoughts went back to the memory she had had earlier about her mother and the mayor.

What the hell was that about?

Vella decided to put it out of her mind and concentrate on her plan. There wasn't enough time before Founder's day and she needed this plan to be perfect. Since she figured neither Damon or Stefan would be coming into her room for awhile, it would be safe to gather her notebook and laptop from her car and stash them in the room.

After Vella brought her things into 'her' room, she hid them well under the mattress and then left the house to hunt.

As Vella was driving away from the house, she realized she still wasn't feeling anthing, so she "turned" her feelings back on. She figured it would be too dangerous hunting alone with only her vampire instincts guiding her.

The guilt of what happened earlier in the day began to wash over her and she began to sob a little. "I will be so glad when this is over," she said out loud to herself.

**Please leave a review and let me know how you are liking my story so far.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	17. Chapter 17

**This is probably the shortest chapter in this story so far, half as many words as the last anyways.**

**Please leave some reviews.**

Chapter 17~ Day of Reckoning

In the boarding house, the days leading up to the Founder's Day celebration were filled with many emotions.

Almost everyone was excited about it. But with Vella's increasingly nasty attitude towards everyone, it made it difficult for anyone to even talk about it in her presence.

Vella had pretty much kept her distance from everyone the past five days, since the day she freaked out on Damon and Stefan.  
The plan she had worked on so diligently had come together, but at what cost?

Stefan had completely kept his distance from Vella and made sure Elena did as well.

Damon, on the other hand, had tried to talk to her but she just ignored him. He was hoping that after the day was done, things could go back to being a bit more normal for them. He was in so much pain by Vella's actions that he had spent most of the last five days drunk.

After everyone had left the house in the morning to get ready, Damon went up to Vella's room to talk to her.

"Can we talk a sec?" Damon asked her through the door.

Vella sighed. "I guess."

Damon opened the door and walked in, stopping not far from the doorway.

"I just wanted to let you know how much I will miss you today."

Vella looked at Damon, trying to avoid his eyes. She tried shutting out her feelings of guilt but it was proving to be too difficult for her.

"I'm sorry, Damon. You know I can't go."

Damon nodded gently, he knew that was what she was going to say, though he had been half expecting for it to be yelled at him. Instead, he thought she sounded genuinely sorry.

"I love you," he said as he turned around to leave.

Vella ran up behind him and grabbed his right shoulder so she could spin him around to face her.

"I love you too, Damon. I'm sorry for being such a bitch lately. I swear that will change soon...I miss you."

Damon looked deep into her eyes, hoping to see something of the woman he had fallen deeply in love with.

While he could tell she was being genuine, he also saw the anger and rage that was still inside her.

Damon felt a pang of guilt wash over him. He really hated that he had done this to her, change her into a vampire, she really was too good for this life. For the one time in his life, he truly felt like he was being selfish. He just hoped that one day she would get over it and maybe then he could forgive himself. And most of all, he hoped the space he had been giving Vella was helping her to deal with all her demons.

Vella watched Damon walk away and leave the house without moving from where she had been standing. She was beginning to regret her actions of the past week, but she closed that out of her mind for now, she needed a clear head.

Vella gathered up her mother's spell book, her notes and laptop and packed them into her car. She then walked into the livingroom and poured herself a shot of vodka and drank it down in one gulp.

"That's not gonna do," she said out loud to herself.

She slammed the shot glass down on the table, grabbed the whole bottle of vodka and sat on the couch and began downing it as if it was water.

After Vella finished the whole bottle, she decided to watch some tv, only that didn't last too long. She then began reading a book, but that wasn't enough of a distraction either. She was antsy and now she was tipsy on top of it. She wasn't feeling patient and it was still hours before it would get dark enough for her to follow through with her plan.

Vella had no idea what to do to keep her mind off of her feelings, especially the anxiety. She tried to shut everything out of her mind, which she eventually succeeded in doing, but she hated feeling nothing, it was too inhuman for her.

So is murder, isn't it?

Vella decided to go out and hunt. She didn't often hunt in broad daylight but she felt like she needed to feed, even though it had only been hours since she had last eaten. She didn't want anyone to see her, so she went on foot. Running through the trees, at vampire speed, she reached the opposite edge of town from where the town was getting ready to begin their celebrations.

Vella ended up on a quiet highway, trees lining either side of it. She walked towards the north for many, many minutes without seeing anything or anyone. But soon she heard a transport truck in the distance.

"This will be too easy," she said quietly as her mouth began to salivate.

Vella quickly messed up her hair a bit, ripped her clothing and began fake crying. Then she waited for the truck to approach.

As the truck driver came into view of Vella, he slowed down his truck to see if she needed help since he didn't see a car. He noticed she had been crying, mascara was running down her face and she looked sad. He stopped his truck, got out and walked around to the other side of the truck where Vella was.

"Do you need help?" he asked concerned.

Vella turned her head away from him for a second, as her face turned into a vampire.

"No, but you do!" she said as she turned and attacked him.

The trucker tried to scream but by that time it was too late. Vella had already punctured his neck with her razor sharp fangs and was sucking the life from him. It wasn't until the trucker was beginning to stop squirming that she stopped drinking so she could compel him before he passed out.

Once she compelled him, she carried him into the cab of his truck and laid him down so it looked like he was asleep.

It wasn't until Vella made it back to the boarding house, that she even thought about what she had done. Between being slightly drunk, feeling anxious and a slightly sadistic feeling of joy, she hadn't realized how close she had come to killing the trucker. Instead of dwelling on it, she put it out of her mind, which she was beginning to get really good at.

Damon was sitting in the back of a dark blue convertible, which had its hood down. He was sitting beside the sheriff, while the mayor and his wife were in the front seats. The car was in the front of the parade, which suited Damon just fine, it would be over much more quickly this way. He was wearing a smile for show, but inside he was falling apart. All he could think of was how he should be with Vella today, to help her through her pain, but instead he was here, spending time with people he could barely tolerate.

Earlier in the day, he had overheard the mayor and the sheriff talking about Vella. They didn't trust her ever since the mysterious attacks began two months before and her attitude as of late hadn't helped convince them of otherwise. Damon wished he had heard more of the conversation though, he wanted to know exactly what they thought they knew. He made a mental note to spy on them a little more in the future.

Stefan was also in the parade, but he was on one of the floats. He wasn't sure why, but he had a sense of foreboding today. He really hoped that it had nothing to do with Vella. Stefan knew she hated the council and with her rage as of late, it worried him, he still hadn't forgotten what she had done to him five days earlier.

Stefan had even tried to speak to Damon about her, warn him that Vella might be up to something, but he knew his brother and he knew what reaction he would get, so he decided to leave it alone. He would just have to keep an eye out for any trouble today.

Vella didn't do much after she got back to the boarding house after her little excursion earlier in the day. She sat around, paced around and ran her plan through her head until she was positive she wouldn't forget anything. The alcohol that was in her system had almost cleared itself out of her blood, which she was grateful for, she couldn't afford to make any mistakes.

As the sun began to set, Vella got in her car and drove towards the festivities.

Vella left her car in a parking lot away from the center of town. It had to be close enough for her get away later though, so she wasn't too far away.

As she walked down the streets towards the town square, she could hear so many sounds it was distracting. She had never been around such a large crowd of people since she had been a vampire, it wasn't something she had thought about either. She kept as far away from people as she could so no one would remember seeing her later. She was dressed all in black, which helped her blend in to the darkness better.

Vella could see that most of the town was gathered around the town square. Of course various members of the Founder's council were on the podium talking about the town's past and traditions, it made Vella sick to her stomach.

Vella manuevered herself around to the other side of the podium, being careful not to run into anyone she knew, especially the Salvatore brothers. She hid in a very dark alley and began to wait until the right time to strike.

As the mayor began his nauseating speech, Vella knew this was the best time to strike. She began to chant a spell in a mystical language she didn't even fully understand.

Vella had been studying her mom's spell book for weeks, even though she had once sworn she would never cast a spell. In the beginning, she wasn't even sure it would work now since she was a vampire, but she was pleasantly surprised it did.

The spell she was casting was the first of two. This one was a kind of shielding spell, so no witch could undo the real spell she wanted to cast. She knew Bonnie was out there somewhere and she couldn't take her chances.

After several minutes, the spell was over, at least Vella hoped it was. It was going to have to be the best she could do. But suddenly she could sense something, like something was probing around her and then she knew, the spell had held and should for a short time.

Vella began to cast the second spell. This one was more difficult than the last and would take more out of her.

The people of Mystic Falls were gathered in the town square celebrating the founding of their town, unaware of the danger that was about to befall them.

Minutes into the mayor's speech, Bonnie began to sense something that made every hair on the back of her neck stand up.

It took her a minute to realize what it was, but as soon as she did she began to carefully probe with her own magic to see what kind of spell it was. She soon realized the spell was blocking her somehow and she knew she had to find Stefan and Damon.

Bonnie waited until Caroline had her back turned to her and was distracted and ran off looking for them.

She could see Damon was standing beside the sheriff, who was right beside the podium, so she knew she couldn't tell Damon right now, so instead she looked around for Stefan.

Bonnie searched feverishly for Stefan and for Elena, because she figured they were together, but was finding it too difficult to find anyone in the huge crowd. Her desperation turned to one of quiet panic as she feverishly searched for help.

It took Vella several more minutes to cast this spell than the previous one, but once it was done, she would know.

As Vella spoke the last words of the spell, a sudden darkness began to swallow everything, only she could see through it. It was as if everyone had suddenly gone blind. No light could be seen, even in the distance, not even the stars or the moon, absolutely nothing.

Vella could hear the chaos this had created. The panicked screams of the people of the town who were trying to find their way out of the darkness.

A cold, evil smile pursed Vella's lips. This was the moment she had been dreaming about, planning diligently and now was her time to strike. She ran towards the podium as fast as she could.

Damon had been standing beside Sheriff Forbes when suddenly everything went dark. As much as he normally loved the darkness, this was nothing like he had ever experienced in his life. For the first time in a very, very long time, he was actually frightened.

He was doing his best to listen out for his brother and Elena, he needed to find them, but with all the chaos, the yelling and screaming, he couldn't tell one voice from another.

Stefan had been with Elena when the darkness hit. He took a hold of her hand and pulled her close to him and began to listen out for his brother, he knew he had to find Damon, but as they were blindly trying to move out of the crowd, they ran into Bonnie instead.

"Bonnie!" yelled Elena as she hugged her tight.

"Oh my god, Elena, is that you?"

"Yes, me and Stefan."

"Good, I needed to find you," Bonnie said as she began to explain to them about the spell.

"Isn't there anything you can do, Bonnie?" asked Stefan.

"No, I tried already but it's like something is blocking me."

The three of them became quiet as they all tried to think of what they could do even though they couldn't even see. It was difficult enough trying not to get knocked over by people running around blindly trying to escape the darkness. But Stefan kept the two girls as close to him as he could, so they would be safe.

Vella ran vampire speed up to the podium and then stopped suddenly to watch the chaos she had created. She suddenly felt powerful, like nothing could stop her now and it was an intoxicating feeling.  
She scanned over the people in the crowd and then turned her eyes to her targets, the Founder's council.

The mayor was there with his wife, but the other member's of the council, except the sheriff, had scrambled away trying to get away from the darkness.

Sheriff Forbes was standing a little away from where she had been standing earlier and Damon was nowhere to be seen, which Vella was relieved to find.

As Vella walked slowly towards the mayor and his wife, her fangs began to grow and her face changed, but more than that, she felt like she was in a frenzy. Rationality soon became a distant thought as Vella grabbed the mayor's wife by her hair and began to pull her towards her aching, throbbing fangs. She wanted to, no, needed to bite her so badly, but something inside her was fighting the urge, something was telling her not to. She tried shaking it off but she couldn't. Suddenly a voice in her head said, "Are you crazy?"

Vella wasn't sure what the voice was, but it had brought her back to reality. She knew she couldn't bite anyone, she couldn't leave any proof a vampire had done any of this, not to mention they had probably ingested vervain. So she threw the mayor's wife away from her, her real target was the mayor any way. But as she walked towards the mayor, out of nowhere, something slammed into her which sent her flying backwards.

Vella fell backwards, smashing into several chairs which splintered apart in the impact, landing sideways on to her left arm, which broke it in two.

She stumbled to get up, holding her left arm with her right, and looked for what had slammed into her. She saw who it was right away, it was Damon. She could tell by the look on his face he couldn't see her, but she knew if he got close enough to her that he would be able to tell it was her.

Vella surveyed the scene of chaos and destruction she had caused one more time and then ran off as fast as she could, towards her car.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18 ~ After the Darkness

After the complete darkness lifted from the town of Mystic Falls, all that was left was nothing more than complete chaos.

There were injured people everywhere. Some had been trampled and some had been knocked over. There were cuts, scrapes, broken bones and concussions. Only a few people had escaped the chaos with no injuries.

Damon stood up slowly, he was still a bit dazed. He looked around, scanning the scene he could now see. He was still on the podium, so he had a full view of the devastation.

The mayor was screaming hysterically and scrambling to get down off the podium to a slumped body that was laying on the ground below.

Damon looked down to see that it was the mayor's wife. He could tell from here that she was dead.

When Vella had thrown the mayor's wife aside, she had fallen off the podium and had been impaled through her chest by an upended chair.

Damon left to search for his brother.

He found his brother a block away from the podium with Elena, Bonnie, Caroline and Matt.

"Are you all okay?"

"We're fine. I see you made it out fine too.," stated Stefan.

"You're not surprised are you?" Damon said sarcastically with raised eyebrows.

Stefan chose to ignore the remark.

"I'm going to take Elena and Bonnie home. Do you want to come with us, Damon?

Damon looked at his brother, eyeing him carefully. He knew what he was thinking and figured he better go with him. He nodded in agreement and they began to walk towards Stefan's car.

The car, happened to be parked two blocks away, but they had to walk pass the podium to get there.

As they walked by, they couldn't help but see what had happened.  
The mayor was screaming, swearing he would kill whoever had been responsible for what had happened to his wife. Sheriff Forbes was trying to keep him calm, while Tyler was standing by his father, looking at his mother's lifeless body with a blank stare.

Elena and Bonnie wanted to go over to comfort Tyler, but Stefan and Damon herded them towards the car. They wanted to get them home in case there was more danger.

No one spoke in the car.  
When they arrived at Elena's house, Elena decided Bonnie should stay with her for the night. The two of them got out of the car and headed for the house. Stefan got out momentarily to kiss Elena goodbye, got back in the car with Damon and began driving towards their home, the boarding house.

Damon could sense Stefan's tension. Instead of waiting for him to say something, he broke the silence first.

"I know what you're thinking, Stefan."

"You think so, do you?"

"You think Vella had something to do with this, don't you?"

Stefan didn't just think, he somehow knew it had to be her.

"No, Damon, I don't think she did this. I know she did this."

Damon felt anger start bubbling up inside him.

"The Vella I know wouldn't do something like this."

"That's the thing Damon, you don't know her. No one does."

Damon began to interrupt, "But I..."

"No! You don't know her. How much of her past do you really know? You've known her for what, two and a half months, that's not nearly long enough to know someone."

Damon was now seething. He knew what his brother said was true, but he could feel deep down inside she was not a vengeful person.

"You've seen her attitude lately. You can't be that blinded by your love for her, can you Damon?"

Damon slammed his fist down on the dashboard of the car, turned his head towards Stefan, staring daggers at him.

"Shut the hell up Stefan, you don't know a damn thing."

Stefan knew he was pushing his brother but he wanted him to be able to see things clearly.

"Are you going to deny how distant she has been for almost two weeks? And how violent she was towards me only a few days ago?"

"Of course not, but..."

Stefan interrupted. "And how she's been treating you? Pushing you away"

Stefan's words hit Damon like a ton of bricks. Vella had been distant and she had pushed him away, but what about earlier today? She had seemed more like the woman he had met. How could she have done something like this?

Stefan and Damon were silent in the car the rest of the way home. Instead, they both were thinking about how they would approach Vella.

As the two brothers walked into the boarding house, they could hear things being thrown around upstairs.

They ran vampire speed upstairs to the entranceway to the room Vella was staying in.

Upon looking in, they saw Vella smashing her laptop on the floor where it broke into several pieces of plastic, glass and metal.

As Vella turned towards them, the brothers were completely startled by what they saw.

Vella's face was contorted in rage. The veins on her face were dark and bulging, her fangs fully showing, her eyes were completely black and her hands were clenched as if they were claws.

"Damon, you try and talk to her, I will be back in just a second," Stefan said as her ran off into the house.

Damon stood staring at Vella. He didn't know what was happening but he was scared, too scared to move in fear of having to hurt her.

"Vella?" Damon said to her softly, hoping that speaking with a soft voice would help.

Vella just stared at Damon, as if she wasn't really seeing him.

Stefan appeared behind his brother and pushed something into Damon's hand.

Damon looked down to see what it was, a needle full of liquified vervain.

"You know what you have to do Damon," Stefan whispered.

Damon wanted to scream at his brother, to protest, but he knew this is what had to happen.

He walked slowly towards Vella, who stood unmoving until he got within three feet of her, when she took a swing at him.

She was quick, but Damon was quicker. He dodged her swinging arm, stabbed her in the side with the needle filled with vervain and pushed the plunger down.

As the vervain entered Vella's system, she collapsed to the ground unconcious.

Damon stood over Vella, staring at her listless body feeling helpless, tears running down his face. He began uttering, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," over and over again.

Stefan walked up to his brother and put his hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Damon, you know this has to be done."

Damon continued to stare at Vella's body unmoving, not uttering a single word.

Stefan approached her body, about to pick her up when Damon finally spoke.

"I will do it Stefan, she's my responsibility."

Stefan nodded his head slightly and left the room to give Damon some privacy.

Damon bent down and gently picked Vella up, cradling her in his arms. He was studying her face, which now looked at peace.

"What happened to you?" he whispered to her gently.

Damon carried her down the stairs, down the hallway and through the basement door. He stood at the top of the stairway that led into the dark, dank room that was going to be Vella's 'home' for awhile. Sighing, he carried her down the narrow stairway, into the dark room at the bottom and gently placed her on a cot that was already there. He squatted down beside her, gently stroking her hair for awhile.

Damon was there for about an hour, when Stefan came down to see if he was okay.

"Damon."

Damon stood up, turned to look at his brother wiping away a tear. "Please don't Stefan, I don't think I could handle your condescending attitude right now."

Stefan gave his brother a supportive look and put his hand on his shoulder.

"I was just coming to check on you."

Damon sighed and gave his brother a thankful smile. "I just don't understand what happened, Stefan. She did so well in the beginning, what happened?"

Stefan was confused too. He didn't have any answer for his brother, but he wish he did. He had never seen his brother look so lost.

"I think you should come upstairs for awhile Damon."

Damon looked from Stefan to Vella and then back to nodded his head in agreement, locked the heavy iron bar gate behind him and followed Stefan up the stairs.

For the next few hours, all Damon did was drink. When he ran out of whisky and rum, he drank beer. He didn't want to think, but rather than shut them completely out, he decided to drink all thoughts out of his head.

Stefan kept an eye on his brother all night and into the morning. He had to make sure Damon wasn't going to do something stupid, like let Vella out, but all he did was drink.

A couple hours after the sun had risen, Stefan called Elena and told her not to come over. She tried to protest but Stefan made her promise, which she did reluctantly.

Damon ended up passing out on the couch for awhile, so Stefan dozed off while sitting on a chair next to him.

It was about noon, when Damon began to stir. Stefan bolted upright as soon as he felt Damon struggle to stand up and almost fell off the chair.

Damon stood up, though a little wobbly on his legs at first. His head was aching , but he found that was little pain compared to his heart, which felt broken.

After Damon was stable enough on his feet, he and Stefan, went into the basement to check on Vella.

When they arrived, they saw her sitting up on the cot. Her face was sullen and pale, she didn't even move at the sound of the brothers.

"Vella?" Damon called out, but she didn't move.

Damon waited a minute, then went to reach for the lock on the heavy iron bar door.

Stefan grabbed Damon's hand. "What do you think you're doing?"

Damon turned to look at his brother with a purely evil look. "I'm going in there."

Stefan was not intimidated by his brother whatsoever. "I can't allow that Damon."

Damon was about to protest, when Vella called his name quietly.

He turned around to look at Vella, who now had an evil look on her face, like she did the night before.

"Come in here, Damon," Vella said.

Damon was about to open the gate when he felt a chill run through him. As he looked closer, he could see Vella had the most evil sneer on her face.

"Maybe you're right, Stefan."

Vella suddenly flew towards the door, arms flailing wildly towards the bars.

Damon jumped backwards as she got near, almost knocking his brother down.

As Vella was raging, trying to get the door open, Stefan took a needle filled with vervain out of his pocket, walked towards the gate and jammed it into her arm, pushing the plunger quickly.

It took a minute, but eventually Vella went silent, passing out in front of the gate.

Damon didn't say anything to his brother, he just ran up the stairs, through the house and out the front door.

Stefan hesitated, but then went after Damon, he needed to keep an eye on him. He found his brother standing outside with his hands cupping his face.

"Are you okay brother?

Damon slowly dropped his hands, Stefan could see tears staining his face. "No, but I need to eat."

"I don't think this is a great time to hunt, Damon."

"I'm going to the blood bank so don't worry," Damon said as he turned and walked into the woods.  
Stefan didn't want his brother to go out alone, but he had to trust him. He couldn't leave the house unattended while Vella was in the state she was in.

The next three days were very similar to the first. But as each day ticked by, Vella became weaker and weaker from lack of food.

It was midday on the fourth day when Vella seemed weak enough for Damon to go into the cell with her. Stefan did not agree with it, but he had to let Damon try.

Damon sat on the cot with his arm around Vella, who was leaning up against him. She was very weak and could barely move, but even in this state she seemed to be resisting him.

As he looked down to grab Vella's hand, Damon noticed something odd. Vella had deep gashes around the finger that held the ring he had retrieved from the tomb, as if she had been trying to rip it off.  
He thought it was odd that the wounds werent healing like they should, as if she had been constantly digging at the ring.

"Hey Stefan, check this out," he called to his brother while holding up Vella's hand so he could see. "What do you make of this?"

Stefan moved closer to the bars, but didn't open the gate to look, his sight was good enough he wasn't going to take the chance Vella could escape.

"I don't know. It looks like she's been trying to take the ring off."

Damon rolled his eyes at his brother, he had already figured that out, what he wanted to know was why.

Damon began to grab at the ring, trying to pull it off, but it wouldn't budge. He decided to get more forceful, after all her wounds would heal. As the ring began to budge, Vella began thrashing about, but she was too weak to fight Damon off.

As he pulled the ring off of her hand, the thrashing subsided and she fell limp, unconcious on the cot.

Damon locked the heavy iron bar gate and walked upstairs, Stefan following behind.

Damon was studying the ring, while pacing back and forth.

The two brothers couldn't understand if the ring had been the problem or not, but they could both feel something strange about it right now. The only thing they could think to do was call Bonnie.

Bonnie came over a few hours later with Elena in tow. Neither had stepped foot near the house since Founder's Day, per Stefan's request.

Damon and Stefan explained to Bonnie, everything that had been happening with Vella since the night of the Founder's Day celebration. She wasn't quite sure how she could help but she would at least try.

As Damon handed Bonnie the ring Vella had been wearing, she screamed out in pain and dropped the ring on the floor.

Bonnie's was wearing a terrified expression as she spoke, "Don't touch that ring again."

Damon and Stefan looked from each other to Bonnie, hoping for an explanation.

"What is it, Bonnie?" Damon inquired.

Bonnie looked at Damon with a fearful expression. "That ring is possessed by some kind of demon."

There were a collection of gasps from everyone in the room.

"Are you positive, Bonnie? Stefan asked in disbelief.

Bonnie nodded her head. "I'm afraid I am."

Damon looked at Bonnie with pleading eyes. "What can we do?"

"WE, can't do anything, Damon. But I can."

"Well what are YOU going to do then?"

"I have to cast a spell to dispel the demon. But, I'm going to have to get Emily's spell book first."  
"You mean you didn't bring it?" Damon asked bitterly.

"I was at Elena's house when Stefan called. It's not like I carry it with me everywhere I go."

Damon was obviously irritated at Bonnie's news. He wanted Vella better and he wanted it now. He was about to grab Bonnie and drag her to his car, when Stefan, who could tell how close to raging Damon was, offered to drive her home so she could get what she needed.

Elena stayed behind to keep Damon company, while his brother and Bonnie were gone. Stefan had protested against it, but Elena was adamant that she was staying, so he relented. She knew Damon needed the company right now.

Elena never said a word to Damon the whole time. Instead she sat down in the livingroom with him, hoping that her company was enough to comfort him.

Damon went from sitting, to standing, to sitting again and then began to pace, all the time muttering things under his breath about how everything was his fault.

Elena was upset for Damon. All she wanted to do was hold him and tell him everything would be okay, that it wasn't his fault. She hated to see Damon so distraught, but she didn't dare say anything to him while they were alone.

About thirty minutes later, Stefan and Bonnie got back to the house.

Bonnie carrying her long dead relative's spell book with her, walked over to the table the ring had been placed on.

"I'm going to need everyone to back up. I haven't done this before and I don't want anyone to get hurt."

Damon, Stefan and Elena all did what was asked of them. None of them wanting to get in the way of Bonnie or her spell.

Bonnie began to chant in a mystical language. Her hands making small gestures towards the ring.

All eyes were on the ring as it began to float upwards, stopping to float about eye level with Bonnie.

All of a sudden, there was a bright flash of light, followed by a strong wind that was emanating from the ring.

As the wind became stronger, Bonnie began speaking louder and louder, until suddenly there was a light so bright it was blinding.

The ring was still floating but it seemed to be shaking now. Bonnie was still chanting loudly, though her voice seemed to be faltering.

The light emanating from the ring began to fade as Bonnie's voice began to quiver slightly. She made a sudden, quick gesture with her hands and the light from the ring disappeared, the wind stopped and it fell back onto the table.

Bonnie sat down quickly. She was breathing heavily, obviously exhausted from casting the spell.

Elena rushed to sit with her best friend, wanting to make sure she was okay.

Once Bonnie caught her breath, she was able to speak. "The demon is gone."

Damon looked at her apprehensively. "Are you sure?"

Bonnie gave Damon a look of exasperation. "Yes, I'm positive."

Damon had a million questions running through his mind, but he asked the one he really wanted the answer to.

"What about, Vella?"

"She should be fine now. In fact, she could put the ring back on now if she wants to. I banished the demon to hell. It won't be coming back."

"Thank you so much, Bonnie. I owe you.," Damon said genuinely.

Bonnie smiled slyly. "I might collect that one day."

Damon rolled his eyes and gave her a weak smile. Then added, "Remember, Vella owes you too."

Everyone in the room let out a nervous chuckle. It was such a Damon thing to say.

A few minutes later, Stefan left the house to drive Elena and Bonnie home, leaving Damon alone so he could have some privacy.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19 ~ Fall Out

After Stefan left the house, Damon went into the basement to see how Vella was.

When he got to the bottom of the stairs, he could see Vella was laying on the cot with her back to him. He hoped she was awake, he needed to talk to her.

"Vella," Damon called out quietly, but she didn't move.

Damon opened the gate, walked over to the cot and squatted down beside her, resting his hand on her arm.

"Vella."

Damon could feel her move slightly, but she still didn't answer him. He figured she would come around eventually, so he sat down on the floor beside the cot and tried to wait patiently.

As every minute ticked by, Damon became more and more impatient. Finally after about an hour, he couldn't take it anymore. He began to lightly shake her until he could feel her resistance, which told him she was awake.

"Vella, please? Will you please talk to me," he pleaded.

Vella began to shift around a bit on the cot before she spoke in a cracking voice. "Leave me alone, Damon."

Damon was slightly relieved, at least she was talking.

"I'm not going to leave so you might as well talk to me."

There was silence for a minute, then Vella struggled a bit trying to turn around and sit up on the cot. Damon tried to lend his assistance, but she refused his help. Once she was sitting up, Damon could see what being locked up for four days with no food had done to her.

Vella's face was very pale and sunken in. Her skin looked dry and rough and her disheveled hair hung around her limply.

She looked at Damon as she spoke, but avoided his eyes. "Just leave me here and forget about me Damon, you would be better off."

Her words hit Damon like a ton of bricks. He couldn't imagine being without her. Why is she still pushing me away?

"No, I wouldn't be better off without you," Damon said as he laid a hand gently on her knee and staring into her sad face.

Vella looked deep into Damon's eyes, she wanted him to understand fully as she spoke. "Yes, you will be."

Damon began to get irritated. He knew she would blame herself for what had happened, but he wasn't going to let that happen.

"All those things you did, those weren't your fault. It was the ring. It was possessed."

Vella shook her head in disagreement. "No, Damon. That's where you're wrong. It was me."

Damon looked at her in disbelief. How could she be so stubborn?

"It was you, but you had no control over what was happening."

Vella looked down for a second to think, before raising her head back up to look at Damon.

"Maybe, but maybe not. If I hadn't felt the way I did about the Founder's council, maybe none of this would have happened.

When she finished speaking, Damon saw tears begin to form in her eyes. He stood up and sat beside Vella, putting his arm around her.

"Vella, I don't know you well enough yet, but I do know you well enough to say you wouldn't have done this if it wasn't for that demon. You aren't a vindictive person."

Vella sighed. She knew Damon was right, but still she couldn't help feeling responsible for everything. She wasn't even sure how she could make any of it better, except by giving up her life.

"Maybe you're right, Damon, but that doesn't make me feel any better."

Damon gave her a little squeeze to try and comfort her.

"Did anyone get seriously hurt?"

Damon knew she was going to ask at some point, he just wish it wasn't now.

"Can we talk about that later?"

Tears began to flow from Vella's eyes. She could tell by the way he wanted to delay the answer that something bad had happened, but she had to know now.

"No, absolutely not! Tell me now!" she shrieked.

Damon gave Vella a sympathetic look before speaking. "Mrs. Lockwood died, but everyone else was fine."

Vella closed her eyes, mostly to stymie her tears, but she also wanted to think. She tried to remember exactly what had happened that night but much of it was still a blur. As she concentrated, she began to remember fragments of that night.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered as she opened her eyes. "I hated her, but I would never have killed her."

Damon turned to Vella and gently lifted her head up so he could look straight into her eyes when he spoke. "I know you wouldn't have, love."

Vella smiled at him weakly. She really was grateful he believed in her as much as he did, but right now she couldn't let herself off the hook so easily.

"I'm tired, Damon. Can I go back to sleep?

"No. You're only tired because you haven't eaten and you've been shot up with vervain. Let me get you something to eat."

Vella wanted to refuse food, but the hunger she had was almost unbearable. Every inch of her body was crying out in pain, her throat felt parched and her head ached like it was about to explode.

When Damon returned with two blood bags, Vella cringed at the sight of them, but she was too hungry to refuse and drained each bag totally of blood.

It only took minutes for her to feel much better, at least physically, the mentally was going to be more difficult.

"Now that you've eaten, do you want to come upstairs?" Damon asked hopeful.

Vella looked at his pleading face thoughtfully, she wasn't quite sure it was a good idea, but she definitely didn't want to stay in the dank basement alone.

Damon took her hand and walked her up the stairs, listening to see if his brother had come home yet. He didn't hear anything, so he dragged her out into the hallway and began to walk towards the livingroom.

It was late afternoon, the bright sun was shining brightly into the windows from the west. As Damon and Vella walked past the front doorway, the sun that was shining through the window touched Vella's skin.

Vella immediately screamed out in pain, as the sunlight burned her, and jumped back from the doorway.

"I am so sorry!" exclaimed Damon. "I totally forgot about the ring."

Vella shook her head as if to clear it, then gave Damon a loving look. "It's okay."

Damon reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring that was, only earlier in the day, possessed, and offered it to Vella.

Vella didn't want anything to do with the ring though, so she refused to put it on.

Damon wanted her to wear it, but he didn't blame her at all for not wanting to trust that it was safe now.

"I will get you a replacement as soon as I can," Damon promised.

Vella looked at Damon thoughtfully. She wanted to explain how much she loved him, but she couldn't find the words right now.

"I don't know what I would do without you, Mr. Salvatore," she said as her smile beamed at him.

The smile Vella gave him made Damon melt inside. This was the happiest he had been in weeks and he could only think of one thing he wanted to do right now.

Damon picked Vella up in his arms and took her upstairs to his bedroom. As he set her down on the bed, he took his hands and put them on either side of her head and brought her lips to his.

Vella was just as eager as he was. She kissed his lips hungrily and began ripping his clothes off.

Every kiss brought infinite pleasure to Damon. He undressed Vella and laid her on the bed and began kissing her neck. It wasnt long before the temptation became too much and his fangs pierced her neck.

Vella let out a cry of pleasure as his fangs sunk into her neck. He drank just enough of the sweet tasting liquid to satisfy himself and then rolled over onto his back, pulling her with him.

Vella was now straddling Damon. She began by kissing his lips lightly, teasing them. She then did the same along his chin and up to his ear, where she whispered, "I love you," softly.

Damon took his hand and put it on the back of Vella's head. Wrapping his fingers into her hair, he pushed her down impatiently, so her mouth was on his exposed neck.

Vella didn't want to give in so easily. She kissed his neck softly, just barely brushing it with her lips, then using her tongue, she gently licked around his neck and ear, teasing him until she knew he had had enough. She then took her fangs and pierced his neck, draining him of just a small amount of blood.

Damon cried out in pleasure at the feeling of his blood being drained. When she was finished licking the blood off her lips, Damon pushed her over so he could get on top of her once again. He began kissing her lips roughly.

As he entered her, Vella moaned in pleasure, digging her nails into the soft flesh on his back.

He cried out, feeling both pleasure and pain...

When they were finished, they laid in bed together just holding each other, neither wanting to let the other go.  
They laid there for several minutes, before they decided to have a shower.

As they were coming out from the bathroom, they heard Stefan come through the front door and walk into the livingroom.

"Guess we should go deal with him now," Damon said.

Vella nodded in agreement and followed Damon down into the livingroom, flinching as she passed the front door, but the sun had already gone down.

Stefan was standing in the livingroom staring out one of the windows. As they walked into the room, he turned to face them with a look of dread.

"We have a huge problem," Stefan said before either Damon or Vella could utter a word.

Damon rolled his eyes at his brother and was about to open his mouth, when Stefan interrupted.

"No, it's not what you think, it's even worse than that."

Damon could detect the fear in his brother's voice.

"What could be worse than the demon?"

Stefan sighed and put on a worried look. "Sheriff Forbes found Vella's cell phone by the podium the day after Founder's day."

Damon turned to look at Vella who looked like she was about to cry.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry!" she cried.

Damon pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her in an embrace. "It's okay, I will fix this."

"How are you going to fix this, brother?" Stefan asked him angrily.

Damon lifted his head up from Vella's shoulder to look at his brother, a look of pure malice.

"I will tell them I took her phone that day by accident."

"You lie so easily, Damon. I guess they will just buy that then?"

Damon let go of Vella and ran towards his brother, stopping just inches from him.

"I will deal with them, it's not for you to worry about, BROTHER" Damon said through gritted teeth.

"That's where you're wrong. Anything that can expose us is my business as well," Stefan retorted.

As Damon opened his mouth to say something, Vella yelled, "Enough!"

Both Damon and Stefan turned with shock to look at Vella.

"I won't have you fighting over this, over my mess," she said with an obvious sadness in her voice. "I will just leave town and there won't be anything to worry about."

Damon walked back over to Vella, moving his hand to the side of her face, cupping it, as he spoke. "I won't let you do that. We can deal with this," he stopped then added, "Right, brother?"

Stefan looked at his brother, studying his expression before he spoke. "I will do what I can, but if it happens to go badly, I won't hesitate to do what I have to."

Damon was going to ask his brother exactly what he meant, but he knew. He knew that Stefan would do anything to protect Elena and ulitmately the town she called home.

"How did you find this out any way?"

"Actually, the sheriff has been around asking questions about it. I'm sure she will stop here sooner or later."

Damon was relieved she hadn't come before Vella was better. It would have seemed even more suspicious if he had to tell her that Vella was unavailable, but what about her not going to work? He knew he was going to have to come up with some excuse before the sheriff came around asking questions.

Vella just stood there listening to the two brothers talk. She was feeling so guilty about everything. It seemed she had been nothing but trouble for Damon ever since they had met and now she was causing more.

Tears began splashing down Vella's face in waves, so she ran up to Damon's room to be alone. She flopped on the bed, laying on her stomach and pulled a pillow up over her head.

Damon came up to check on her a few minutes later. He thought she might be asleep but he could see her body slightly moving with every sob. He sat down on the bed next to her and began stroking the hair that was spilled on her back.

It was a few minutes before Vella felt she could talk to Damon. She threw the pillow, that she had on her head, across the room and rolled over onto her side.

Damon laid down on the bed facing her.

With a loving look on his face he tried to comfort her. "Vella, everything will be fine, I promise."

There he goes again with his promises, why does he have to do that?

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Damon looked at her with a serious face but spoke gently, "Stop saying that. What's done is done. We will get through this. You believe me, don't you?

Vella did believe him and nodded slightly, but her problem was not in believing him, it was her guilt.

Damon smiled at her slightly and put a finger on her lips. "Listen, I know how you are, you feel guilty, but don't be. We are a couple now and whatever problem you have is mine and vice versa. And...I love you."

All Vella could do was beam a huge smile at him. It still felt odd to think of her and Damon as a couple.

"Now," Damon began. "Do me a favor and turn that guilt off, at least for the rest of today."

Vella reluctantly did what he asked of her. She was worried about not feeling, but she found it was exactly what she needed right now.

Instead of spending the night worrying and feeling guilty, Vella was able to spend the whole night with Damon not feeling anything but his tender


	20. Chapter 20

**This is a relatively short chapter.**

**Just wait until the next one, I think it's the best one I've ever written, full of action, you'll love it!**

**Thanks for reading!**

Chapter 20 ~ Indebted

As the sun was coming up the next morning, Damon got slowly off the bed so as not to wake Vella, who was now sleeping soundly.

He grabbed some clothes and left the room to shower and get dressed before he went downstairs.

Damon found his brother sitting in the kitchen reading the newspaper at the table.

"Good morning, Stefan," Damon said cheerfully.

Stefan raised his head from the newspaper to look at his brother. "Good morning."

"I have to go out and do something important today. Could you look after Vella for me, please?"

Stefan looked at his brother with surprise. "I thought you said she was okay now?"

"She is, but she can't go out in the sun. She refuses to wear that ring again."

Stefan could definitely understand her trepidation. "I will stay home today, if you tell me where you are going."

"Ah, dear brother, that is a secret, so it's on a need to know basis only," he said with his eyebrows raised in a sarcastic manner.

Stefan narrowed his eyes at his brother. "I guess this means you aren't going to tell me?"

"Exactly," Damon said with a devious grin as he left the room and the house.

Damon was in his car driving. He was heading to the south towards a small town in North Carolina, driving quickly, radio blasting, windows down, the wind whipping through his short, dark hair. It was a couple of hours before he finally arrived at his destination.

The town was an average small town. Many older houses lined the streets, white picket fences, tire swings and children happily playing in their yards.

It was a town that was quiet and completely uninteresting to Damon, the kind he despised. The thought made Damon chuckle to himself. Mystic Falls was just like this town, except for the supernatural events and the vampire hating town council.

Damon drove up to a bar that was on the east side of town, parked his car and went in to grab himself a drink.

He was on his second drink when he was approached by a woman. She was tall and slender with long straight blonde hair, striking blue eyes and pale skin. "Damon Salvatore," she said slowly and with a sly grin. "Fancy meeting you here."

Damon looked at her and returned her greeting with his own sly grin, "Hello, Florence."

Florence put her hand on his arm lightly as she spoke softly. "I think we better go speak in private."

Damon looked at her shrewdly, studying her face. "Let's."

Florence led Damon past the bar and made a left through a doorway and into a back room.

The room looked like a break room to Damon. On one side, it had a small wooden table with four wooden chairs around it and a small counter that had a coffemaker and a microwave on it. On the other side, there was a small brown plush couch and a TV which was turned on but had no sound.

Florence walked in and sat at the couch, while Damon grabbed one of the chairs, turned it backwards and sat on it leaning his chest on the back with his arms folded.

"I see you're still living the quiet life, Flo," Damon said grinning.

Florence looked at Damon with a look of annoyance. "Enough with the pleasantries, Damon. What is it you want?"

"You mean you don't miss me?" he asked mockingly.

Florence snorted. "Hardly."

"Fine, down to business then,' he answered coldly.

"Please do, I need to get back to work," she replied just as coldly.

"Do you have what I called you about?"

Florence began shifting around a little as if uncomfortable with the question, curling her long hair in her fingers nervously. "Damon, you have to understand..."

Damon interrupted. "I don't need to understand anything. You better have it."

"But..."  
Damon ran over to her and cut her off midsentence by grabbing her by the throat.

Florence had tried to move and was now trying to struggle, but she wasn't nearly as strong or as quick as Damon was.

After Damon figured he got his point through to her, he threw her forcefully backwards onto the couch.

His voice was now cold and detached as he spoke. "Unless you have forgotten, you owe me. And I am here to collect."

Florence looked at him with pleading eyes. "Please just listen to what I have to say."

Damon gave her an evil look but allowed her to talk. He needed what he had came for and he wasn't going to leave without it.

"I have what you want, but if I give it to you I will have to leave town and...and...," she stammered almost hysterically.

Damon slapped her across the face forcefully, which caused her face to change and her fangs show.

"Stop being hysterical and act like a vampire!" he said in disgust.

Florence glared at Damon looking like she was going to pounce, but then backed down, her face changing back to normal.

"I don't care about you, so whatever trouble you are in I could care less about," Damon said even more coldly than before.

Florence got up and walked out of the room. Damon listened as he heard her walk behind the bar, through the door that led to the kitchen and up some stairs.

She came back down a minute later, throwing a small blue velvet box at Damon. "Here."

Damon opened the box and looked inside. What he had been looking for was inside, so he closed the box and turned his attention back to Florence. "Thank you."

Florence looked at him furiously. "Don't thank me Damon, you just signed my death warrant!"

Damon looked at her with one eyebrow raised. "And who is going to kill you just because you helped me?"

Florence turned to walk away from Damon, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her farther in to the room. "I didn't say you could leave yet."

"Please, Damon. I've said too much already," she pleaded.

"You know I can kill you too, Flo. And it will be painful. I would make sure of that." The look of pure hatred and malice on Damon's face was more than a warning.

Florence spoke, her voice filled with fear. "Katherine is going to kill me."

Shocked at the mention of Katherine's name, Damon let go of her wrist. "What does she have to do with this?" Damon asked seething.

Florence had an expression of pure terror on her face as she yelled. "I don't know, Damon, I swear!"

Damon slammed the door shut and grabbed a hold of Florence by the front of her shirt and threw her up against the wall holding her there while he spoke. "You are going to tell me what you know or I'm going to kill you myself, right now!"

Florence struggled against Damon for a few seconds then gave up trying to get loose of his iron grip. She looked at him, pleading with him to let her go, but she knew Damon well enough to know he wouldn't give up.

"Somehow she found out what you were looking for and she sent a messenger to me, telling me not to give it to you or else," she said shaking slightly.

"What the hell would she care?" he asked out loud, more to himself than looking for an answer.

"I don't know Damon, or I would tell you," she screamed as she looked at him. "She's going to kill me either way."

Damon let go of Florence and turned around. "I would advise you to get the hell outta here then. Katherine isn't known for her forgiveness...or compassion."

As Florence made a move towards the door, Damon quickly grabbed one of the wooden chairs, snapped the leg off and jammed the makeshift stake through Florence's chest, killing her instantly. Her body fell limply with a thud on to the linoleum floor.

Damon climbed over Florence's body and began to open the doorm when he realized he had dropped his package. He walked over to the couch where it had fallen and placed it in his pocket. As he headed towards the door again he looked at Florence's body and whispered, "That was more humane than Katherine would have been."

Damon walked back into the bar. It was much more crowded than it had been when he arrived. He wanted to grab a drink before he left, but figured he had better not. Instead he walked out to the parking lot, got into his car and began driving back home.

All the way home, Damon couldn't think of anything else but what Florence had said. _"Somehow she found out what you were looking for and she sent a messenger to me, telling me not to give it to you or else."_

What the hell could Katherine be up to?

Vella woke up about three p.m. She rolled over on the bed to find that Damon wasn't there. She could tell it was still light out, so she didn't want to leave the room but she was bored. She did the things she normally did when she woke up in the morning, showered, got dressed, brushed her teeth and put her make up on, even though she had nowhere to go.

Vella walked downstairs, dodging the sunlight from the window in the front door and headed into the livingroom. As she peaked her head in the doorway, she saw Stefan was sitting on the couch reading a book. "Good morning, Stefan...I mean afternoon," she corrected.

Stefan looked up from his book. "Morning, Vella."

Vella walked over to the bar and poured herself a little vodka and sat down in one of the armchairs.

"I see you're picking up my brother's bad habits," Stefan said jokingly.

Vella raised one of her eyebrows in question. "You mean drinking?"

Stefan chuckled. "No, I mean getting up and drinking right away."

Vella rolled her eyes. "Where is your brother?"

Stefan shrugged. "I have no idea. He just asked me to keep you company."

Vella looked at him exasperated. "You mean babysit, don't you?"

Stefan looked at Vella shaking his head. "Of course, I don't mean babysit. All I know is he had to run an important errand and he would be back later on today."

For some reason, this made Vella a little antsy. She proceeded to drink down her glass of vodka in one big gulp, put her glass away and then began to pace.

It wasn't long before her pacing began to get on Stefan's nerves, she could tell by the brooding look on his face.

"I'm sorry but I'm bored," she whined slightly, reminding Stefan of a young child.

Stefan looked at her thoughtfully. "Would you like to play cards or something?"

It wasn't what she had in mind, but it would keep her from thinking about how hungry and bored she was.

Damon got back to the boarding house around 5 p.m. that afternoon, to find his brother and Vella playing cards.

Vella immediately dropped her cards, jumped up and ran at Damon, practically pouncing on him and knocking him over.

Damon wasn't ready for her and almost fell over backwards, but he managed to put his arms around her and swing her around, then placed her down and began kissing her passionately.

It wasn't until Stefan cleared his throat to remind them he was still in the room, that the two lovers unlocked their lips.

"Where have you been, Damon?" asked Vella.

Damon gave her a loving look and asked, "Why, did you miss me?"

Vella beamed at him and exclaimed, "Of course!"

Damon chuckled to himself. He enjoyed when Vella was in a playful mood, but he had to remind himself that there were other things he needed to do than get distracted by his desires.

"Turn around," Damon ordered Vella.

Vella looked at him in surprise. "What for?"

Damon rolled his eyes in mild annoyance. "Just do as I ask," he said, then added, "Please?"

Vella studied the look on his face for a second, then turned around, exposing her back to Damon.

Damon reached into a pocket in his leather jacket and pulled out the box he had received from Florence earlier that day. He opened it, pulling out a pendant on a white gold chain. It wasn't just any pendant though, it was a lapis lazuli pendant. The white gold chain was heavy, rounded and thick, about half the width of a pencil. The lapis gemstone was a deeply intense blue color with flecks of gold, it would ensure Vella could once again walk in the sunlight.

Damon opened the clasp and lifted the necklace over Vella's head, resting it on her chest, closing the clasp behind her neck then brushed her silky hair aside.

Vella looked down, hand on the lapis pendant, admiring its beauty. She turned around and jumped at Damon again, only this time he had been expecting it, catching her in his arms and squeezing her tightly. Happy tears were running down her smiling face.

"Is this what you were doing today?" Vella asked as Damon set her back down on the ground.

Damon smiled back at her happily. "Of course. Do you think I would go out of town without you if I hadn't been getting you a surprise?"

"Well who ever knows with you, Damon," she said as she was grinning.

"So true, I'm such a mystery," he replied sarcastically.

Vella was so excited, she felt like she had endless energy right now. She just had to test out her new necklace, so she ran outside in the late evening sun, stopping just outside the doorway.

Damon followed her, stopping just an inch away from her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He nuzzled up to her neck and whispered, "I love you, Vella Evans."

Vella felt like she was going to explode, she was that ecstatic. it was the best present he could have given her. She turned around, wrapping her arms around his neck. Looking deeply into his eyes she said, "I love you too, Damon Salvatore!"

The couple began to kiss passionately. Tongues entwined, hands groping each other, it took them a couple minutes to realize where they were.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Vella asked him.

Damon looked at her grinning. "I bet I am," he replied as he scooped her up and carried her up to his bedroom, where they made love until the sun went down.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21 ~ The Lockwood's Family Secret

As Damon had promised, Vella had nothing to worry about what had happened during Founder's Day. He had taken care of how her phone had shown up by the podium that night and the questions from the Sheriff stopped.

Weeks went by, mid summer turned into late summer and everything around the boarding house had stayed quiet during those weeks.

Stefan and Elena spent a lot of time together at the house, as well as getting to know Vella better. Vella enjoyed getting to know her new 'family' since she didn't have one of her own, they would be the closest thing she would ever have. She decided that wasn't such a bad thing, she really liked them all. The hardest part for Vella, was getting Damon to be a part of this makeshift 'family' she was trying to create. Though Vella tried hard not to push, she found herself doing it without realizing.

The day Vella tricked Damon into going out to dinner with Elena, Jeremy, Jenna and Alaric was a step too far. Instead of trying to be part of the friendly conversation, Damon had gotten totally drunk and made a huge nuisance of himself. Thankfully, everyone knew how Damon could be so Vella didn't have to be too embarrassed by his actions. Vella did manage to tell off Damon later though and they didn't speak to each other for two days afterwards.

It wasn't long before school was back in, which gave Vella and Damon some much needed alone time.

It was about a month into the new school year, when Stefan had to go out of town for a football game. The only problem was they needed another chaperone to go with them. Vella had to use every dirty little trick in the book to convince Damon to do this favor for his brother, but she knew she would owe him now and he would collect, she would pretend to be upset about this but she really wasn't. With Stefan and Damon out of the house for a couple of days, she could finally have some time to herself, which she had been craving, but she also knew she would be responsible for looking after things while they were gone.

The day Stefan and Damon left, Vella decided to sleep late. She got up about midafternoon and sat outside in a chair reading a book she had been meaning to read for awhile. She got so engrossed in the book she didn't even notice when it got dark. As she got up out of her chair to head in to the house, she could hear a car driving at a high rate of speed up the very long driveway.  
Vella dropped her book onto the chair she had been sitting in and waited to see who was coming. As the car came into view, she recognized it as Elena's car, which worried her for some reason.

Elena's car came to a quick stop just inches from Vella. Elena jumped out and was yelling at Vella hysterically to help her. Vella ran over to Elena who was now standing at the open door of the backseat. As she looked in, Vella saw a horrible sight, Elena's brother, Jeremy was in the back seat and it looked like he had been attacked, he had blood everywhere.

Vella scooped Jeremy up as carefully as she could and ran vampire speed into the livingroom and gently laid Jeremy on the couch. She then ran around turning all the lights on while waiting for Elena to make it to the livingroom.

"What happened to him, Elena?"

Elena looked at Vella, fear marking her face. "I don't know. We were at the grill, he went outside and then I heard this horrible sound so I ran outside to see what was going on and I found Jeremy like this."

In the light, Vella could see how bad Jeremy was. He had numerous large gashes to his legs, arms and one long one on the side of his face and they were bleeding profusely. She was glad the blood didn't seem to bother her.

"Why didn't you take him to the hospital, Elena?" Vella asked confused.

Elena tried to answer her, but she could only stammer.

Vella put a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her. "Elena, it's okay, breathe," she said softly.

Elena tried to relax but she couldn't while looking at her brother. "Just help him please!"

Vella was aching to use her compulsion on Elena so she could find out what was wrong, but she knew she couldn't since Elena was wearing vervain. She just had to hope she could get a straight answer soon.

Vella made Elena fetch some towels and a basin of water, while she looked at the wounds. They seemed to be scratches and bite marks from some sort of animal, but what animal could have done this right outside the grill, she wondered. They weren't extremely deep but they seemed to be infected already.  
When Elena came back with the towels and water, Vella dampened one of the towels with the water and began trying to clean his wounds, starting with the one on his face. Jeremy began to moan in pain.

"Jeremy," Vella said quietly.

Jeremy began to moan a little more at the sound of her voice but he didn't wake up.

Vella cleaned out all of the wounds which were now festering. She could only think of one way to help him right now. Vella bit the inside of her wrist and offered up her bleeding wrist to Jeremy's mouth.

"What the hell are you doing!" Elena yelled as she went to grab Vella's arm away from her brother. However, Vella was too quick and caught a hold of Elena's arm gripping it tightly enough so she wouldn't fight.

"Elena, I have to do this or he might die."

"But, but..."

"No, buts. I need to find out what happened, I need him awake and now!" she then said calmly. "I swear he will be okay."

Elena looked at Vella with fear in her eyes, but whether it was fear of her or fear for her brother, Vella didn't know.

After Vella made sure Jeremy had drank enough of her blood, she let go of Elena's arm. "I'm sorry Elena, but these injuries do not look normal. I've seen enough as a nurse to know this."

Elena rubbed her wrist absentmindedly while keeping her eyes fixed on Vella. She didn't think Vella would hurt her brother purposely, but she was too terrified to think rationally at the moment.

It took a few minutes, but Jeremy finally opened his eyes and was able to speak.

"Jeremy. Do you know what happened to you?" Vella asked

Jeremy looked at Vella like he was dazed and didn't understand her. When he noticed his sister, he seemed to be able to gather his thoughts and began speaking to Vella. "I was at the Grill. I went outside because I saw Tyler walk by and I thought he had gone with the football team," he paused to take a deep breath, which brought on waves of pain. "He was in a really bad mood, mumbling something about his mother and making someone pay.", with this, Vella felt a deep pang of guilt wash through her. "All of a sudden there was a large wolf like thing staring at me with huge teeth and claws. It attacked me and it's the last thing I remember."

Vella turned around to look at Elena. "Call Bonnie right now! And make sure she brings any spell books she has."

Elena looked stunned, she wanted to ask questions but she did as she was told.

"Jeremy," Vella whispered. "Can you take off that bracelet for now?"

Jeremy looked at Vella with apprehension. "Why?"

Vella thought quickly. "Because you are injured there and I want to keep it clean."

Jeremy did what she asked. He took the bracelet off and placed it on the table next to the couch he was laying on.

Vella looked into Jeremy's eyes and compelled him to sleep for a few hours.

"Vella!" yelled Elena.

Vella turned around to look at her. "What?"

"What the hell did you just do to my brother?" she yelled.

Vella narrowed her eyes at Elena. "You know exactly what I just did, Elena. I'm trying to help him, but if you're going to keep fighting me with everything I do than I might not be able to."

Elena seemed to think before she spoke again. "I'm sorry, Vella. I'm just not comfortable with you using your compulsion on Jer."

Vella could understand her position, but she also thought it was foolish. She couldn't possibly understand what was going on.

"You don't have to agree with me Elena, but I'm going to do it any way. He needs to be asleep right now."

"Why?"

"Look, when Bonnie gets here we will talk about everything, I promise."

Elena opened her mouth to speak, but found nothing would come out. She really wished Stefan was here with her right now, in fact, she would even settle for Damon. She walked over to the end of the couch where Jeremy's feet were and sat down to wait quietly.

It was more than twenty minutes later before Bonnie showed up. As the car was coming down the driveway, Vella came downstairs carrying her mother's old spell book. She had been upstairs reading so Elena could be alone with her brother.

After Elena and Vella exchanged pleasantries with Bonnie, Vella began to explain what it was she thought had attacked Elena's brother.

"I think it was a werewolf," Vella said point blank.

Elena and Bonnie were completely shocked.

"Is this why you wanted me to bring my spell book?" Bonnie asked.

"Yes. I was hoping your grandmother or Emily would have something about werewolves in there." Vella replied.

Bonnie shook her head. "I'm afraid I have never seen anything about werewolves. I didn't even know they existed."

Vella chuckled a little to herself. "I'm sure there was a time you didn't know there were such things as vampires and witches either," she said snidely.

Bonnie ignored her sarcasm and gave her a dirty look. "And what makes you so sure?"  
Vella told the two girls about the memory she had had a few weeks back.

"You think that proves that Tyler is a werewolf?" Bonnie inquired.

"I'm not positive, that's why I need to go out and get my mom's journals. I still have some of them in storage." Vella handed her mother's spell book to Bonnie. "Could you please look through this while I'm gone? I know she cast a spell on Tyler, it has to be here somewhere."

Bonnie took her mother's spell book, sat down on one of the livingroom chairs and began reading.

"So you're leaving now?" Elena asked. "What about Jeremy?"

Vella looked at Elena with a thoughtful expression. "I compelled him to sleep for a few hours, he should be okay for now. If he starts to stir, call me on my cell immediately."

Elena nodded in agreement and turned her attention back to the sleeping form on the couch who was her brother.

Vella quickly ran and got her keys, then out the door into her car and drove towards town. While she was driving, the only thing she could do was replay that memory over and over in her head. As the cloudy evening sky had a break in the clouds, she saw it, a full moon. It seemed to confirm what she believed as truth, Tyler was a werewolf. Vella knew nothing about werewolves and if it wasn't for that one old memory she wouldn't have even thought it was a possibility.

As Vella drove up to the lot where her storage unit was, she began to feel heavyhearted. She hadn't been here in a really long time and wasn't looking forward to going through her mother's things.

The street the storage unit was on was quiet at this time of night. On one side of the street were various commercial buildings and the other side of the street was forest that marks the edge of the south part of town. It was dark, except for the flood lights outside of the storage units and what appeared to be a warehouse next to it.  
Vella parked her car on the side of the road near the forest, the other side had a no parking sign, and walked across the street and through the gate into the storage area. She walked past the first three small units and made a right and it was the first one as she turned the corner. She stood staring sorrowfully at the lock for a minute, then using the small key that was on its own ring on her keychain, she opened the lock. She pulled the heavy metal door open, groaning as it moved, and flipped the light switch on.

Vella looked around at the boxes that were piled up, trying to remember which side of the room had her mother's stuff and which had her father and sister's. Tears began welling up, but she quickly shut her sadness off. This wasn't the time or the place, she could reflect on it later. She walked over to the boxes on the left side of the unit and began slightly opening them to see what was inside. When she found the one with books and journals in it, she knew she had found what she had came for. She hastily dug through the box, tossing aside anything she knew wasn't going to be useful, grabbed up all the journals and placed them in a pile. She sat beside the pile and began reading through them as quickly as she could.

After about an hour of searching without finding anything, Vella decided to but the journals in the bag she had brought and head back to the boarding house, she was worried that Jeremy might wake up at any time. She put the discarded items back in the box they had come from, locked the unit and walked out the way she came. As she was walking across the street approaching her car, she stopped for just a second, she had thought she had heard something, but thought it might be her paranoia getting the best of her, she knew she didn't really have much to worry about. She got to her car, placed the bag with the journals on the hood and began fishing around on her keychain for the right key.

Suddenly, Vella was airborne. Something had hit her and hit her hard. She fell on to her left side, quickly recovering, she stood up to look around but saw nothing. "What the hell..." she began to utter.

Out of nowhere, a massive lumbering creature with long shaggy brown fur, long pointy fangs and sharp claws was right on top of Vella as she was pinned to the ground. She tried her best to fight the vicious attacks from it's large, powerful fanged jaw, but the teeth managed to pierce through her skin on her upper left arm, tearing the flesh halfway to the bone. Vella screamed out in agony. As the large dog-like creature tried once again to bite at her, she managed to get her legs up and kicked it as hard as she could in the ribcage, it flew through the air and landed almost 30 feet away with a heavy thud.

Vella stood up immediately, gripping her injured upper arm with her right hand. She watched as the giant werewolf shook it's head and began standing up. She tried to run in the opposite direction, but it was too quick even for her, it pounced with all it's weight on to her back, knocking her forward, pinning her to the ground while it was on her back trying to bite at her head. As she tried to unpin herself from the claws of the beast, she saw a long stick, which she picked up with her free arm, and stabbed it into the side of the werewolf. The werewolf howled in pain, backing off Vella trying to dislodge the stick that was protruding from its side. This gave Vella a chance to ponder her next move. She wanted to run, but she knew the beast was too fast for her. She figured her best defence would be to run into the forest, hoping the trees would slow it down. As she twisted around to run towards the trees, the werewolf caught her movement and made a dash towards her. She just barely dove out of the way as it ran well past her. Vella lifted herself up off the ground in time to see it swing around and run at her again. She managed to move slightly out of the way of it's charge and grabbed it around the waist, wrestling it to the ground. Dodging the angry, snarling attacks from it's terribly powerful jaws, she managed to get a hold of it around the neck. Squeezing as hard as she could, she twisted it's neck until she heard a snap. The beast suddenly fell limp to the ground.

Vella laid on the ground for a second to collect her thoughts. Her upper left arm was still bleeding, even though it had healed a little already, it was still open and throbbing painfully. She tried to stand up, but winced in pain as she put weight on her right leg. She looked down and noticed she had a large gash on the front of her leg that ran from her knee to her ankle.

Vella gathered up all the strength she had and forced herself to stand up, although wobbly, on both of her legs. She limped to her car and searched around on the ground for her keys, which she had dropped when she was attacked. She soon saw her keys about ten feet away from her car in the middle of the road. As she stooped over to pick them up, she noticed movement behind her. Turning around, she was flabbergasted by the sight of a half naked Tyler standing where the presumably 'dead' werewolf had just been. She hurriedly closed the gap between her and the car, unlocked the door, grabbed the bag of journals off of the hood of her car and threw them on to the passenger side seat. She turned to look at Tyler, who was now on the other side of her car.

"Where do you think you're going?" Tyler asked grinning evilly.

Vella stared at Tyler, not knowing what to say. His eyes were a yellowish color that seemed to glow in the moonlight.

"I'm not letting you get away from me that easily, bitch!"

Vella ignored the pain in her arm and leg and slammed the door of her car to confront him. "What the hell do you want with me?"

Tyler looked at Vella with a sneer on his face. "You mean you don't have any idea? Surely you aren't that stupid?"

"I barely know you, Tyler."

"Yes, but I know all about you, Vella."

Vella felt fear deep down inside. She wasn't sure what he wanted or what he thought he knew, but it frightened her. She had no clue how he had survived the broken neck, but she didn't want to stay and find out. She just knew he would kill her if given the chance. "Enlighten me then."

Tyler gave Vella another evil look, his eyes still glowing in the light of the full moon. "You killed my mother, so I'm going to kill you."

Vella felt a deep pang of guilt as she heard his words.

"But first, I'm going to hurt everyone you care about. I already started with Jeremy."

"NO!" Vella shrieked. "I won't let you hurt anyone else. If you want me, come and get me."

Tyler looked at Vella with a mixture of pleasure and satisfaction. "No, this will be much more fun. I want you to suffer."

Vella summoned every bit of courage and strength left inside her, which was easy when she tapped into her rage, the rage she felt when her loved ones were threatened. Suddenly she didn't feel her pain, any of it, just the rage, which made her face change and her fangs grow. She felt powerful like she never had before, almost uncontrolable, like a major rush of adrenaline.. In one easy leap, Vella jumped over her car at Tyler, who changed into werewolf form simultaneously. Suddenly they were a whirl of fists, fangs and claws, grappling, fighting, neither managing to get an upper hand on the other.

After several minutes, the vampire and the werewolf each lay on the ground, both spent. Neither had the energy to fight only thing that broke the silence was a phone ringing in the distance. The sound seemed to have awakened Vella. As she tried to get up and make it back to her car, the werewolf tried to grab a hold of her, but the effort was too much for him and he missed. She made it to her car, grabbing her phone off the ground in front of her car where it had fallen, flipping it open.

"Hello?"

"Oh my god, Vella. Where the hell have you been?" It was Elena.

"I can't talk right now," Vella said as she kept her eye on the werewolf who seemed to be transforming back to Tyler.

"Jeremy is awake and he's hurting so bad. You need to get back here now!" Elena was almost hysterical.

"I will be there as soon as I can," she said and flipped the phone closed, turning her attention to the half naked Tyler who was now walking towards her.

Tyler looked at Vella evilly once again. "You may have won tonight, but this is not the end. No one is safe now."

Vella returned the evil look. "I wouldn't talk so tough mongrel!"

Tyler stood still, completely unmoving, as if he was waiting for Vella to make the first move. She needed to get back to the boarding house and now, but she wasn't sure what Tyler would do if she tried to leave. She figured she would taunt him some more, she was still feeling invincible.

"You really are very lucky dog!" she said with a look of disdain.

Tyler narrowed his eyes at her. "Somehow I think you were the lucky one you filthy bloodsucker!"

This comment really made Vella angry, so angry she was seething. It was his family's fault she is what she is and she wasn't going to let him get away with it.

"Awww did I get you angry, bloodsucker?" Tyler taunted her.

"Do you really want to find out, filthy mongrel?"

Tyler stayed silent but stood his ground.

"Your family did this to me, Tyler. If you continue with your plan of revenge against me and my friends, I will be forced to make you pay for those sins." she stated in an eerily hushed tone. "And if you think I was tough, just wait until Damon gets back."

Tyler snorted. "I'm not afraid of him. I'm not afraid of anyone"

It was Vella's turn to snort this time. "That might be your downfall, pup."

Tyler sneered at her as he spoke. "I would love to spend the rest of the night trading insults with you, but I have things to do."

Vella watched as he turned around to head into the woods. She only hesitated a second, but by then it was too late to chase after him, he had disappeared into the shadows.

"Shit!"

Vella was worried he was heading to the boarding house, so she jumped in her car and drove as quickly as she could. She was a little slower than she would have liked due to the pain in her right leg, which was now throbbing and burning even more painfully than before.

As Vella pulled her car up to the house, she stood still for a few seconds carefully listening, to see if she could hear anything out of the ordinary. All she could hear were the muffled voices coming from inside the house. She ran in as fast as she could to find Elena acting hysterically, Bonnie trying to calm her down and Jeremy thrashing around on the couch.

After placing the bag of journals down on the table beside the couch, Vella approached Jeremy, holding his face still with both hands on either side, she compelled him to relax and rest. It seemed that he was trying to fight it, but after about thirty seconds he laid back quietly on the couch looking as if he would fall asleep at any moment. She then went to sit in the armchair beside the couch and almost collapsed.

"Are you okay?" Bonnie asked Vella.

Vella looked up at her, blinking her eyes a few times quickly, "Me? I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," Bonnie said concerned.

Vella's upper left arm was still deeply scratched. It had bled down her arm, staining her light blue shirt a shade of deep scarlet. It had healed slighty, but not like it should have. Her right leg was worse. The werewolf had shredded the jeans she had been wearing from her knee to her ankle. The blood had ran down her leg, into her socks and shoes. It had completely discolored her jeans making them a deep scarlet as well.

"I'm dead already, Bonnie," Vella said matter of factly. "I'm more worried about Jeremy. Did you find anything?"

Bonnie's look of shock at Vella's statement changed to one of worry. "I found something mentioning werewolves in your mother's journal, but nothing in her spell book."

Vella's brow furrowed. She couldn't understand why there was no mention of the spell her mother had cast that night when she was ten. She proceeded to grab the bag of books off of the table, handing one of them to Bonnie and grabbing another for herself. As her and Bonnie looked through the various journals, Elena sat at the end of the couch by her brother, having calmed down considerably.

About fifteen minutes later, Vella had found something.

"Bonnie!" she said excitedly. "Look what I found."

Bonnie bent over the book Vella had offered her. It was a 'recipe' for a poultice to heal werewolf bites.

"Do you think you can do this, Bonnie?" Vella asked her.

"Yes. I will do this while you keep looking for that spell," Bonnie said as she disappeared into the kitchen.

While Bonnie was gathering things, Vella continued to search through her mother's journals. Book after book turned up nothing of use. It was the second last book however, that had exactly what she needed.

"I found it, Bonnie!" she exclaimed loudly.

Bonnie smiled slightly as she brought a large bowl of a thick looking substance. She placed it on the coffee table, arranged a few candles around the bowl and lit the candles. She began chanting in a strange language. The liquid in the bowl seemed to move like waves for a second, and then become still, as Bonnie finished chanting.

"The book says, this poultice won't only help to heal the wounds, it will keep Jeremy from turning into a werewolf," Bonnie said to Elena as she began rubbing the thick liquid on Jeremy's face.

"Turn into a werewolf?" Elena uttered.

Bonnie stopped a second and turned to Elena. "It won't happen Elena, not now." and then she turned back to Jeremy.

Elena seemed to relax a bit.

Vella set the book she had in her hand down on the end table and laid her head back, closing her eyes. The pain in her upper arm and leg were becoming more painful by the moment. She wanted to scream out, but she knew this would scare the girls. On top of the obvious pain, her head and jaw were also aching painfully, she hadn't eaten at all today and she was starving, the smell of Jeremy's blood wasn't helping matters. She laid there quietly, afraid to move, until she felt something brush up against her. Suddenly her eyes flew open, her face changed and her fangs grew.

Bonnie jumped back, startled by the change in Vella's face, which only lasted a few seconds, when Vella got it under control.

"I'm so sorry, Bonnie. I was trying to rest," Vella said apologetically.

Bonnie shook her head, "No, I'm sorry, I should have called your name first."

"What were you doing?"

"I was going to put some of this on your wounds, they don't look like they are healing like they should," Bonnie explained concernedly.

Vella turned her head to look at her upper left arm. It still looked much like it had when she had made it back to the boarding house, when it should have healed almost immediately after it had happened. "It's okay, Bonnie. I will put some on myself," she paused for a second. "Thank you."

Bonnie gave her a smile and a nod and left into the kitchen to clean up.

Vella took the goop from the bowl and generously spread it on her arm and leg. It was cool to the touch of her skin, which felt good. She wasn't sure if it was her imagination or not, but the scratches seemed to be healing already and the pain was abating.

It took about an hour, but Vella's injuries healed completely. Jeremy was now resting comfortably, his injuries no longer looked infected. She decided it was best if everyone stayed the night, so Vella dragged blankets downstairs, handing one to each of the girls and one for herself, they each chose an armchair to sleep in and everyone promptly fell asleep. It had been a very long night for all of them.

**A/N: It might be a bit longer between chapters now. I haven't been able to write as much as I want to. No worries though, I have some other ideas still so there will still be a couple more chapters.**

**Please leave a review so I know if there is anything I need to work on. **  
**Thanks for reading!**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22 ~ To Catch A Werewolf

Vella was the first one to stir the next morning. The sun had just come up and it was shining right in her eyes, making it difficult to sleep.

She stood up and noticed no pain. Upon looking at her arm and leg, she noticed they seemed to be totally healed. She was grateful. She didn't think anyone needed a vampire werewolf running around. She chuckled at the thought.

Vella went into the kitchen and put a pot of coffee on, then came back to the livingroom to check on Jeremy. His face was visible, so she could tell the wound on his face had healed, but the worst one had been on his leg. She lifted up the blanket to see how his wounds were healing and was surprised to find they had healed completely. She breathed a sigh of relief. Her blood, and the poultice, had done what they were supposed to.

Vella walked back into the kitchen, upon hearing the coffeemaker signaling that it was finished, poured herself a cup and came back into the livingroom, sitting back on the chair she had used as a bed, and began flipping through her mom's journals. She wasn't looking for anything in particular, she had found what she needed last night, but she was feeling nostalgic. It wasn't until she came across some harsh criticism of the town and the Founder's council, that she realized she had to keep reading.

By what she read, it seemed that Vella's mother was a huge critic of the Founder's council. She didn't agree with their policies and she definitely didn't agree with the tomb. She had refused to ever open it for any reason, which had angered Mayor Lockwood.

Vella put the book down, it was making her way too angry. She would wait until another time to read. She was sure Damon and Stefan would find it almost as interesting as she had.

Vella went into the kitchen and began making breakfast for her three guests, she figured they would be starving when they woke up. She made eggs, toast and bacon. Elena and Bonnie woke up just as she was almost done cooking, but Jeremy was still asleep. As the girls ate, Vella woke Jeremy up and compelled him, Elena didn't want to watch this time. When they were all finished with breakfast, Vella bid them goodbye as Elena drove them home in her car.

Vella was exhausted both mentally and physically. She hadn't eaten last night as she should have, on top of all the blood she had lost, between what she had given to Jeremy and what she had lost in the fight with Tyler, she needed to eat.

Vella hopped into her car and drove west out of town. She wanted to get as far from town as she could. After her confrontation with Tyler, it made her uneasy. If she had to fight off the council she would deal with it, but she wasn't going to just wait around and let them find her.

Vella drove, not really knowing where she wanted to go, for about an hour. She arrived in a tiny little town situated at the edge of a lake. She parked her car at the edge of a quiet road that wound around the lake. There were walking and biking trails that lead all around the lake, for Vella, this was the perfect place to find her prey.

Vella walked up the trail nearest to her car, which wound through some trees on either side of the path. After a few minutes, the path opened up into a clearing of grass, weeds and wildflowers. She decided it was a perfect place to sit, listen and wait. She sat down on a large rock that was surrounded by some longer grass and watched some bumblebees who were gathering pollen, until her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Vella. What's going on there?" It was Damon on the phone.

Vella's eyes narrowed and bit and her forehead creased. "What do you mean?"

Damon sighed. "I mean last night."

How does he know about last night? she wondered.

"What about last night, Damon?"

"I tried calling you several times but you never answered. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Damon. Don't you think I can look after myself for a couple of days?" she asked him with obvious irritation.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Damon asked jokingly, only Vella didn't find it so funny.

"I gotta go, Damon. I'm trying to, um, eat."

Damon figured something more was going on, but he decided to let it go for now. "Okay, I won't keep you. I just missed you."

Vella almost felt guilty now. "I miss you too. Will you be home soon?"

Damon chuckled. "Yup. The team lost both games yesterday. They have one to play a little later this morning and then we will be heading home."

"Will you be home before dark tonight?"

"What kind of question is that? What's going on?" Damon questioned with obvious concern.

Vella sighed. "It's nothing, really."

"I'm coming home now."  
"No, you won't Damon! Your brother needs you more than I do. I will see you tonight."  
"Vella!"  
"I love you, Damon," she said as she flipped her phone closed.

Vella had been too distracted to notice the three young men who had walked into the clearing while she was on the phone. They all looked to be late teens or early 20's and they were walking mountain bikes and were standing about twenty feet away, talking amongst themselves.  
Vella began to feel that sudden rush she got before she fed, but this time she was having trouble controlling herself. She closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to think of anything but her hunger, but the only thing that kept popping into her mind was Tyler, and she really didn't need to add anger on top of hunger right now. Once she felt she had calmed down enough, she opened her eyes, got up and walked towards the group of guys. Luckily for her, neither of them could take their eyes off of her, which made them easy targets to compel. After carefully feeding from each of the guys, she walked back to her car, her hunger had been placated, so she drove back to the boarding house.

Vella arrived home a little over an hour later. She had decided to take her time driving since she was no longer in a hurry to be somewhere. If she was being honest with herself, she would have realized she was actually afraid of going home, but she was in denial.

As she approached the boarding house, she felt like she was being watched. After she parked the car, she stood beside her car listening for anything. A few minutes passed with nothing other then creatures of the forest, so she decided to go inside.

Figuring she was just being paranoid, Vella went upstairs to take a nap before Damon came home, but as she was walking past one of the bedrooms, someone jumped out at her and grabbed her from behind.

Vella hadn't heard them coming, but she reacted quickly by grabbing their arms and attempting to throw them over her head.

However, the person was much quicker. They grabbed Vella's arms and twisted her around so she could see them face to face.

"DAMON!"

Damon had a mischievous smile on his face as he tried to kiss Vella. Vella however was livid and pushed him away and continued walking to the bedroom. Damon followed her, finally catching up when he walked into the bedroom.

"What's wrong with you?" Damon asked. "You always love when I do that to you."

Vella was sitting on the bed looking in the opposite direction from Damon. She was too ashamed to admit to him that he had scared her. "What are you doing here so early?"

Damon looked at her confused. "I thought you would be happy to see me."

Vella felt bad, of course she missed him, but she wasn't quite ready to face what had happened the night before. She gave him the sincerest smile she could muster before she spoke. "Of course, I'm happy to see you, you just surprised me is all."

Damon could tell by the look on her face she was lying. "I'm not going to let you off the hook this time."  
"For what?"

Damon narrowed his eyes at her. "For lying to me."

Vella rolled her eyes slightly and sighed. "Can we please just talk about it in a couple hours? I really need some rest?"

Damon thought about it for a few seconds then gave her a mischievous smile. "Only if I can join you."

Damon's smile melted Vella's heart, she could never resist his charm, so she relented, she needed the distraction any way.

Vella grabbed Damon's face and pulled him close to her, kissing his lips gently at first, then more forcefully. Damon lightly picked her up and placed her near the middle of the bed. Climbing on the bed he straddled her, pinning her arms back. He tried to control himself, but she always made him feel so out of control. In an instant, his fangs were piercing her neck, drawing out her blood, while she moaned in pleasure. He withdrew his mouth from her neck, licking his lips, he began to kiss her lips passionately. Vella was lost in his kisses, like she was drowning and she didn't want to come up. When his kisses began to slow, Vella pushed him back and began straddling him. She held his arms up while she kissed him, beginning on his chest and working her way up to his lips. She didn't linger on his lips for long, she had to taste him. She lightly ran her lips and tongue on his neck, before she pierced his neck with her fangs, tasting him. When she was finished tasting his blood, Damon rolled her over and began to make love to her.

It was an hour later, when the two lovers fell asleep, Damon holding Vella tightly in his arms.

Two hours after they had fallen asleep, Damon and Vella were awakened by yelling coming from the bottom of the stairs, it was Stefan. They got dressed and went downstairs, walking into the livingroom where Stefan was and he wasn't alone, Elena and Bonnie were both there.

Damon was completely surprised, but Vella wasn't, she knew exactly what was going on.

Stefan was looking at Vella with a look of anger and surprise. "Why didn't you let us know what happened, Vella? What is wrong with you?"

Vella opened her mouth to reply, but Damon cut him off. "Don't talk to her like that, Stefan!"

Vella looked at Damon. "It's okay, Damon. I deserve this." She turned back to face Stefan, but as she did she saw Damon's look of shock. "I'm sorry, Stefan. I did what I thought was right at the time."

Damon was irritated, he wanted to know what was going on. "Is someone going to tell me what the hell is going on, or am I supposed to know how to read minds?"

Vella sighed deeply, closing her eyes while she did, then opening them before she spoke. She explained to him about everything that had happened with Tyler the night before.

Damon was both shocked and angry by her story. "Why didn't you call me?"

Vella looked at him apologetically. "I thought I could handle it myself. Don't be mad."

Damon wasn't mad, he was disappointed. He wanted to help her when she needed help, like he had since he met her. Why did she always think she had to prove herself? Why can't she trust in me?

Vella was upset by the look on Damon's face. She knew he was disappointed in her and she really didn't blame him. Her only excuse seemed so stupid to her now. Was it really such a bad thing to ask for his help again and again? "I'm a damn vampire too!" she thought angrily.

Vella was clearly frustrated, but was unable to control it, instead she began to get angry, feeling like she had just been scolded by a parent. She quickly scooped up a glass that had been sitting on one of the side tables and threw it at Damon's head, Damon however, was much quicker than she was and easily caught the glass before it hit him.

Vella was not impressed, especially by the smug look on Damon's face after he caught the glass, it reminded her how inferior she really was. She turned around and ran outside to let out her frustrations.

"What was that about?" Stefan asked curiously.

Damon looked at his brother and then at the doorway. "I'm not sure, but I better go after her."  
"Damon," Elena called. "Maybe she needs some time to calm down. It really was a terrible night for her." Elena now wore a look of anguish upon her face. "If not for her, who knows what would have happened to Jeremy."

Damon was torn. He didn't know if he should listen to Elena, or follow Vella. But the look on Elena's face told him she was probably right, so he stayed put.

Elena looked at Stefan and then Damon. "I owe her for what she did for Jer. Don't be so hard on her, she did what she thought was right," she was speaking softly now. "You didn't see what happened to her. We thought she was going to..." Elena didn't finish the sentence, but she was going to say "die." By the looks on both of the brother's faces, she could tell they knew what she was going to say.

For the next few minutes, there was an uncomfortable silence in the livingroom of the Salvatore boarding house. All that could be heard were the shuffling of feet as they all found somewhere to sit down.

When Vella walked back into the house, she stood at the entrance to the livingroom, trying to decide what she was doing. She had let out her frustrations by throwing some rocks and kicking a few pine cones and felt a little better. It was Elena who made the first move. She stood up, and walked up to Vella and gave her a hug. As Vella hugged her back, it felt as if the tension in the room had been lifted.

As Elena stepped back from Vella, she said with a grateful smile, "I can't thank you enough for what you did for my brother, so thank you."

Vella smiled and nodded at Elena, now feeling a lot better about everything. Now she needed to take control of their next move.

Vella explained to everyone about the spell she had found in her mother's journals. The spell would reverse Tyler's condition and make him forget about everything that happened while he was a werewolf. The only problem was, they were going to need to keep Tyler in sight and still while the spell was being performed. She let Bonnie know, that the both of them would be casting the spell, to make sure it was powerful enough to work properly. All that was left was to lure Tyler somewhere, of course that would be left up to Damon and Stefan.

"What about me?" Elena asked curiously. "What am I going to do while the four of you are busy?"

Stefan looked at Elena. "Stay here, of course."

Elena crossed her arms giving Stefan a stubborn look. She didn't want to stand around and wait. She wanted to help too.

Vella looked at Elena, keeping Stefan's face in the corner of her eye. "I think you should be our bait, Elena."

Stefan let out a sound that resembled a growl. "No way!" he yelled in Vella's direction, with a look of anger.

Vella knew he wasn't so much as angry as he was fearful, she was too, but she knew Tyler wasn't going to go after Stefan or Damon, he would go after the more vulnerable people in her life. "Stefan. He isn't going to show his face to us, he wants to go after the people who are weak and vulnerable."

Elena knew it was the right thing. She looked at Stefan apologetically as she spoke,"I'm sorry, Stefan, but I'm going to help whether you want me to or not."

Everyone in the room looked at Stefan, waiting for him to disagree, but he backed down, knowing he was defeated. All that was left to do, was to call their friends and family and make sure they didn't go anywhere tonight. Elena called home and made sure Jenna and Jeremy would stay put, while Damon called Alaric to stay with them so they wouldn't be tempted to go out. Bonnie called Matt and Caroline, who had already planned to stay in for the night. So all that was left, was to go over their plan again, this time adding Elena to the mix.

"How do we know Tyler will even be out again? It isn't even a full moon tonight." Stefan asked Vella.

Vella began to explain. "According to my mother's journal, it says the werewolf can change in the 24 hours before and after a full moon, but his powers are strongest in the first 4 hours after the full moon, which was last night," she paused for a second, then added, "And he can only change once the sun has set."

Stefan still looked confused. "But are you sure he will even attempt to come after you again?"

Without hesitation, Vella answered, "No doubt in my mind." She remembered the look he had given her last night, he wanted her dead and he wanted her to suffer. Tyler would definitely come after her again, only this time she would be ready for him.

**A/N: I have the next chapter written, so i should be posting it soon. Would like to get some reviews though before I do. Please let me know how you feel about the story so far.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23 ~ Hunter's Moon

After the plan was finalized, Vella and Elena headed out to the Mystic Grill to hang out for a few before it would be dark. They wanted to make sure they were somewhere Tyler might see them so they could lure him to the location they had chosen to ambush him. The two girls drank a few drinks and had a small snack, by this time the sun was setting but not down yet.

"Okay, Elena. Let's go," Vella said as she got up from the table they were sitting at.

The two ladies hopped into Vella's car and drove to the graveyard. Parking near Wickery Bridge, they got out and walked around the edge of the graveyard, sticking near the forest that surrounded it. The moon was just beginning to peak out of the horizon, casting spooky shadows of the trees. Vella could feel Elena slightly shaking. She tried to reassure her everything would be okay, but she knew she couldn't promise that. Vella did know that she would do anything she had to to protect Elena until Stefan and Damon could get here to help, or die trying.

About ten minutes after the sun had completely went down and the moon was climbing up the sky, Vella began to feel uneasy, as if she was being watched. She nodded her head at Elena, which told her she needed to get her phone out. Stefan was waiting with Bonnie a couple of miles away, while Damon was much closer, but not so close that Tyler would be able to see, smell or hear him. Elena was to call them as soon as Vella sensed Tyler was nearby.

While Vella was listening carefully, Elena was standing behind her with phone at the ready. Before Vella could react, she was sent flying through the air, landing face down, about twenty feet from where she had been standing. She stood up and turned around, to find Tyler the werewolf chasing Elena back into the graveyard.

Vella saw Elena no longer had the phone in her hand, so she ran over to where it had dropped. Using speed dial, she called Damon. "Call Stefan, no time," was all she managed to say to Damon before she threw the phone down and chased after Tyler and Elena.

When Vella finally caught up to Tyler, he had backed Elena up into the wrought iron fence that surrounded the cemetary. "Filthy mongrel!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, "Come get me, unless you're scared."

Tyler turned his drooling, snarling face to look at Vella, letting out an enormous howl that seemed to shake the surrounding trees, then ran full speed towards Vella.

"Run, Elena!" Vella screamed. Elena did what she was told and ran in the opposite direction of Tyler and Vella, hoping Damon and Stefan would get there quickly.

Tyler managed to pounce on Vella, while she was distracted making sure Elena was running to safety. He had her pinned down, claws digging into her shoulders, he grabbed a hold of her right arm in his sharp teeth and began shaking his head, trying to rip her arm apart. Vella screamed in agony, as she tried to fight him off with her left arm. She managed to grab a hold of his shaggy fur on his side, which she wrenched as hard as she could until a big patch of hair came out in her hand. Tyler shrieked in pain, backing up slightly, which gave Vella a chance to stand up. Tyler jumped at her as she stood up, but Vella managed to dodge out of the way, but not before Tyler's long sharp claws raked across her thigh, hip and her side, slicing her open about an inch deep.

Vella screamed and fell to her knees, unable to stand from the pain, involuntary tears were glistening her eyes from the pain. She turned her head to see Tyler standing in front of her, back in his human form, a sneer formed on his face.

"Well, well, guess you're no match for me, filthy bloodsucker," Tyler said with disgust. "Now you can watch while I go catch Elena and bring her back here to torture while you watch."

Vella looked at Tyler, pain marking her face. As she spoke, she spoke through gritted teeth. "No way in hell will that happen, mutt!"

Tyler looked at her sneering. "You speak tough for someone in so much pain. Maybe I will just end it for you now then." He picked up a long piece of wood that was lying nearby and began walking towards Vella.

Terrified, Vella tried to stand up, but fell over on to her left side. She turned over in time to see a blur and Tyler go flying through the air, where he turned back into werewolf form as he hit the ground twenty feet away.

Vella watched as Damon appeared, now fighting the werewolf. There was a flurry of fists, claws and fangs and more than once, Tyler was seen flying through the air but he continued to get up and attack Damon. It wasn't long before Stefan showed up to help his brother, dragging some strong chain with him and Bonnie ran over to try and help Vella, who was having a difficult time trying to stand up.

It only took the two brothers about ten minutes to subdue Tyler and chain him up. They dragged him over to where Vella and Bonnie were.

"I don't think I'm strong enough to help with the spell," Vella said in a pained tone.

Bonnie looked at her thoughtfully. "I know you can do this, Vella. You are much stronger than you think you are."

Vella closed her eyes for a minute, trying to gather up her strength. She didn't feel strong or powerful right now, in fact, she felt vulnerable. She opened her eyes to see Damon looking at her. She wasn't sure why, but his face was enough to make her feel strong.

Damon and Stefan dragged the semi-conscious Tyler closer to Bonnie and Vella. Bonnie pulled the journal, that once was Vella's mother's, out of her large handbag. Vella and Bonnie then joined hands and began chanting in a mystical language. A few times, Vella seemed to falter. but she managed to keep standing upright during the casting of the spell.

Tyler, who had been wrapped in the chains still in werewolf form, slumped over slightly when the spell was completed and slowly changed back into his familiar form. He groaned and grunted but was too out of it to move or speak. Stefan loosened the chains around Tyler, while Damon grabbed him by the face, forcing his eyelids opened, compelled him to remember nothing that had happened the past two days.

Stefan picked Tyler up and carried him out of the graveyard, lying him down somewhere no one would find him. He then went in search of Elena, who he hoped was in Vella's car waiting for him.

Damon scooped up Vella in his arms, and carried her back to her car, Bonnie following behind. He placed her in the backseat, while he hopped into the driver's side and Bonnie hopped into the passenger side. His phone rang, it was Stefan letting him know Elena was safe and they would meet him at home.

When they arrived back at the boarding house, Damon carried Vella and placed her on the couch, and sat vigil in the arm chair beside the couch, while Bonnie concocted the poultice for Vella's wounds. After rubbing the goop on her injuries, Bonnie left the room to give Damon and Vella privacy.

Vella was in too much pain to do much of anything but lay still. She looked at Damon with loving eyes that were filled with pain.

Damon smiled at her, reassuring her of his love and devotion. "You were great tonight."

Vella shook her head slightly, disagreeing. "So great that I was the only one who got hurt."

Damon looked at her with a grin, "You are a crazy woman. Have I ever told you that?"

Vella looked shocked and confused. "What are you talking about?"

Damon chuckled slightly. "You've been a vampire for what, four some months?"

"Yeah, so?"

Damon rolled his eyes, slightly annoyed. "I know you feel stronger than you did when you were alive, since humans are so weak, but you are still a new vampire, you can't expect to be as powerful as I am," swallowing his pride he said, "Or even my brother."

Vella knew he was right and felt kind of silly for even worrying about not being strong enough, but she wasn't going to let Damon have the last word. "So while I'm sitting here in pain, you feel the need to tease me, is that it?"

Damon leaned in closer to her and whispered, "Just one of my many services I offer."

Vella slapped him lightly on the shoulder, smiling, she said, "When I feel better, you need to show me some of the other services you offer."

Damon lightly kissed her on the lips and whispered, "I will definitely show you...when you are feeling better. Now rest, or else."

Vella reluctantly agreed, closing her eyes, she quickly closed out every sound and was soon fast asleep.

Damon walked into the kitchen, Where his brother, Elena and Bonnie were seated around the table talking. They all had stopped talking as he entered, making him think they had been talking about him.

Damon narrowed his eyes. "What's going on?"

"We were just talking to Bonnie about the spell," explained Stefan. "Aren't you curious if it worked or not?"

Now that Damon thought about it, he was a little concerned. "I wasn't thinking about that at the moment, Stefan. I was worried about Vella."

Stefan nodded at his brother apologetically. 'I guess I should have realized that, I'm sorry."

There was an awkward silence, before Bonnie spoke. "I'm pretty sure the spell worked," she explained. "I doubt he would have changed back to his human form if it hadn't."

Everyone in the room seemed to agree, but it left one question. "How will we know for sure?" Damon asked Bonnie.

"Well," Bonnie began, "I think the only way we will know for sure is during the next full moon."

It seemed to be an obvious answer and probably the right one, but Damon didn't like it. He wanted to know and he wanted to know now. Patience was not one of his strong suits. He knew there was nothing he could do but wait, but he didn't have to like it. He stood up from the table, walking out the door without another word, sitting down in the armchair beside the couch Vella was sleeping on.

A few minutes later, Stefan escorted Elena and Bonnie to Elena's car, and watched them drive off. Walking back into the house, he turned to head towards the stairs, then changing his mind, he walked into the livingroom.

Damon looked at his brother when he heard him enter. "Is there something you need, Stefan?"

Stefan looked at Damon with concern. "Actually there is," he started. "I just wanted to see if Vella was okay."

Damon gave his brother a curious look, raising one eyebrow. "She's fine."

Stefan looked relieved. Without another word, he walked out of the room, down the hallway, up the stairs and into his room, where he went to bed.

Damon got up out of his chair, gently kissing Vella on her cheek and then sitting back in the chair, he promptly fell asleep.

**A/N: Sorry it was a short chapter, I had to split it from the last chapter or it would have been a really long chapter.**

**Still have some great ideas, so make sure you check back often to see if i've updated.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24 ~ Disappearance

It was several weeks later, the days were getting shorter, the nights colder and longer and everything around Mystic Falls had been quiet. It was now late October and the town was busy preparing for Halloween. No one was as excited about it as Vella though.

Halloween was, and had always been, Vella's favorite day of the year. She loved getting dressed up, eating candy and when she had been younger, playing pranks. This year she felt a little strange about it, which had her slightly depressed.

Damon had done his best to help her, but he wasn't quite sure what was really wrong with her. He knew she was both happy and depressed at the same time about Halloween, but he could never get a straight answer from her as to why. He did his best to make her happier by inviting her to chaperone the Halloween dance at the high school.

Vella had happily agreed to chaperone, she would have helped out Halloween or no Halloween, but she was also worried. She knew, but hadn't told anyone yet, that the full moon would be up that night. She figured it would be best to be there to spy on Tyler, she just hoped the spell had worked and no one had anything to worry about.

A few days before Halloween, a bunch of people were gathered at the boarding house. Besides Stefan, Damon and Vella, there was Elena, Bonnie, Caroline, Matt and Jeremy. They were all sitting around discussing what each other was going to dress up as for Halloween. The only ones who knew for sure, were Matt and Caroline who were going as vampires, which made everyone else in the room laugh to themselves. By the end of the night, Stefan and Elena had decided to go as Frankenstein and Frankenstein's bride, Jeremy as a werewolf, which made Vella secretly cringe, Bonnie as an evil faerie like creature and Damon and Vella were still undecided.

After everyone had left for the night, Damon and Vella went up to their bedroom to have some time to themselves. Vella hopped on the bed, jumping on it a few times, then flopping down like a little kid. Damon sat at the edge of the bed after she had finally laid still.

"Why are you being so difficult?" Damon asked Vella.

Vella looked at him innocently, "I don't have any clue what you're talking about, Damon."

Damon glared at her. "Are you seriously going to sit there and tell me you have no idea?"

Vella rolled her eyes. "You aren't talking about costumes again, are you?"

Damon nodded his head. "Yes, but there is more to it than that. I know you love Halloween, so why are you acting like you could care less?"

Vella sighed. "It's not that I don't care, it just doesn't feel the same, not since my mother died. She used to love Halloween. Dressing up as a witch every year, using her magic to scare the kids, but of course they always thought it was fake." Damon laid his hand on her knee in support while she continued speaking. "It was like Christmas for her. It was the best. I just miss her terribly."

Tears began to fall from Vella's eyes, so she turned her head away from Damon, she didn't like for him to see her crying, but Damon slid up beside her and put his arm around her in support.

It took a few minutes, but Vella finally stopped sobbing. She looked at Damon and smiled. "Thank you."

Damon kissed her on the forehead. "You never need to thank me."  
Vella smiled back at him. "Okay, so let's get this over with then."

Damon raised his eyebrow at her. "Get what over with?"

Vella laughed," Picking costumes. I wanna get it done and over with."

"Ok, fine, but promise me one thing?"

Vella looked at him curiously. "What?"

Damon smiled sarcastically. "Just don't ask me to dress up like a squirrel or something. I don't want Stefan to think I'm food."  
Vella laughed so loud and continued laughing for a couple of minutes. She was almost hysterical, which made Damon laugh at her laughing.

Stefan walked by the room, looking in at them, he gave them a dirty look, as if he had heard them, which made Damon and Vella laugh even harder. A few seconds later, they heard Stefan's bedroom door slam really hard, which made them laugh harder again.

Once Damon and Vella stopped laughing, they discussed, seriously this time, what they wanted to dress up as. It took a bit of negotiating, which consisted of teasing and tickling, but Damon's idea eventually won out. Damon would dress as a zombie and Vella, a zombie bride.

After a bit of fooling around, they were both hungry. When they left the house to hunt, it was around midnight. As Vella looked up into the night sky, she noticed how full the moon was and so did Damon.

"Is that what you've been worried about?" Damon inquired, pointing up to the sky. But the look on Vella's face told him the answer.

"What night will it be full, do you know?"

Vella shook her head looking gloomy. "Yes. Halloween night."

Damon suddenly understood why she had been so upset the past few days, she was worried about Tyler. He knew nothing he would say would help her feel better, but he would at least try. He grabbed a hold of Vella's hand and squeezed tightly, looking in her eyes he said, "I won't let anything happen to you again."

Vella looked at him, wanting to disagree, but she knew there was no point. He would protect her no matter what she said, she could see it in his fiercely determined eyes. The eyes so deep and blue, she could look at and get lost in for an eternity.

Instantly, the two lovers were in each other's arms, kissing passionately, each kiss sending shivers of delight through them both. In minutes, they were on the ground among the leaves, making love to each other, their trip taking an unplanned break.

When they were finished, they went hunting and then went home to get some sleep.

Halloween day brought new waves of fear for Vella. Her mood was constantly doing flip flops, from fearful, to happy, to scared, to excited and back again. She did her best to contain her emotions, but she wasn't having much luck. Instead of sitting around and worrying, she decided to go out

Vella hadn't been sure of where she was going when she left the house, but she ended up at the graveyard where her parents were buried. She realized, sadly, that she hadn't been to visit since she had become a vampire. She sat on the soft grass in front of her parent's gravestone, wishing she had brought some flowers. Instinctively, she cast a simple spell, which made some pink carnations sprout and bloom right there in front of the stone.

Vella had no idea how she had done it, or why it had come to her, but she figured her mother might have had something to do with it, pink carnations were her favorite flowers. She sat there for a long while, just watching the breeze blow through the grass, the flowers swaying, listening to the birds chirping.

"Mom, Dad," Vella began whispering, silent tears flowing down her face. "I miss you so much. I wish I could talk to you just one more time," she paused for a minute to collect her thoughts. "I'm so sorry. I wish I could have helped Violet. I wish I could have helped you. I wish I could have helped myself..." her voice trailing off.

Vella cried for a few minutes, staring into the sky watching the puffy white clouds slowly floating by. She hadn't noticed when an abnormally large crow had flown down from the sky and landed on a gravestone a few feet away from where she was sitting, watching her intently.

"I wanna have fun tonight, Mom. I know you would want me to," Vella began speaking to her parent's gravestone again. "I just wish I knew how you felt about me being, you know, what I am. And Damon. I wish you could see how he takes care of me, I think you would have liked him," she paused for a second, wiping a single tear. "And Mom, I'm so sorry. I wish I had just let you teach me magic. I'm so sorry for the fight we had. I wish I could tell you how much I loved you before..." she couldn't bare to finish her sentence. Vella wiped the tears that had begun to form again and stood up, turning around, she noticed the crow that had been watching her. She gave it a very stern look and walked back to her car and headed back home to get ready for the school Halloween dance.

When Vella arrived home, Damon was waiting for her. She gave him a dirty look and went up to her bedroom. She was gathering up her costume, when Damon walked in.

"What's with the dirty look?" he asked curiously.

Vella glared at him. "Don't give me that look."

Damon shrugged his shoulders, lifting his eyebrows. "What look?"

Vella narrowed her eyes at Damon. "What were you spying on me for?" she asked angrily.

"I wasn't spying on you," he answered, while Vella let out a snort.

Damon grabbed Vella by her shoulders gently and looked in her eyes. "I was just worried about you."

Vella looked deep into his eyes, searching for the truth, which she found. He had been worried about her, as he always seemed to be. She leaned closer to Damon, who took his arms and wrapped them around her tightly. They stayed like this for a minute, before they realized it was getting late and they needed to get to the school.

The school was full of activity when Damon and Vella arrived in their costumes. Damon was wearing a mouldy looking tuxedo that was ripped, his face painted with a greenish colored make up, his hair streaked with grey. Vella was wearing an old wedding dress that was ripped, dirty and covered in fake blood. She too had greenish make up on her face and one long white streak in her otherwise dark hair.

There were students, teachers and chaperones helping to decorate, making punch and setting out snacks. Damon saw Alaric amongst the crowd, and left Vella standing there while he went to talk to him. Vella found Jenna, who was making punch, so she decided to help her out.

As eight p.m. rolled around, the high school students began pouring into the spooky decorated school. There were cobwebs in almost every corner of the school, all kinds of spooky creatures hanging around, fake blood running down the walls and eerie sounds amongst the music that was coming from the gym.

Vella walked around watching for misbehaving students. She found a few who had been smoking inside the school. She escorted them out of the school and began making her way back to the gym.

Damon had been keeping watch for Tyler, which he had found about thirty minutes into the dance. He was wearing a pirate outfit with a fake parrot on his shoulder and a fake scimitar tied to his belt. To Damon, he seemed to be acting normal, normal for Tyler, which he was relieved about. He knew Vella would be too, so he left to find her.

Damon stopped to talk to Stefan and Elena, who hadn't seen Vella in awhile. Neither Jenna or Alaric had either. For some reason, Damon began to feel very uneasy. He continued to look for Vella inside and outside the doors of the school. When he couldn't find her, he went back in to find his brother.

Stefan was now standing with Elena and Jeremy as Damon approached them.

"Has anyone seen Vella?" Damon asked them concernedly.

"Last time I saw her she was telling off some kids for smoking in the school," replied Jeremy.

Damon looked at Jeremy, who was wearing a cheesy looking werewolf costume. "Where?"

Jeremy pointed down the hallway towards the front of the school. "That way," he replied as he turned around, to find that Damon had already disappeared.

Damon wasn't sure why, but he found it disconcerting that Vella wasn't to be found anywhere and no one had seen her in awhile. He had kept Tyler in view for most of the night, so he was pretty sure he had nothing to do with her disappearing act, But if it wasn't him, what was the reason?

After searching frantically for more than ten minutes all through the school, Damon returned to the gym where his brother was and asked him to help.

Stefan told his brother to go outside, while he searched again inside.

Damon left through the front doors, looking around through the crowds of teenagers, he didn't see Vella anywhere. He began walking to the east side of the building, when he found something he immediately recognized, a piece of Vella's costume lying on the ground. He bent over and picked it up, looking it over. The blood that was on the dress was supposed to be fake, but he felt it and it felt wet. Smelling it, he recognized the scent of Vella's blood on the dress.

A million different things began running through Damon's mind; fear, confusion, anger and blinding rage. He couldn't seem to think straight. He went back into the school to find his brother.

"Stefan!" Damon yelled at his brother from across the room.

Stefan could tell by the look on his brother's face that something was seriously wrong. He pushed through the crowd of teens, Elena, Bonnie and Alaric were not far behind.

"What's wrong, Damon?" he asked concerned.

Damon's face was etched by the intense fear he was feeling. "It's Vella. I think something bad has happened to her."

Stefan's face turned to one of fear as well. "How do you know?"  
Damon shoved the piece of Vella's costume into Stefan's hands. Stefan examined it, realization marking his face. "Who?"

Damon looked at his brother with a mixture of anger and annoyance. "If I knew that, do you think I would be standing here answering your stupid questions?"

"Of course not," Stefan replied, "But you don't think it was Tyler, do you?"

Damon shook his head, "No, it can't be him. But the only solutions are the council or someone else."

Stefan patted his brother on the back in support, which Damon shrugged off. He wasn't in the mood for sympathy right now, his mood was too murderous. Instead he ran out of the school to go in search of more clues, leaving the school short two chaperones.

When the dance was over, Stefan drove Elena and Bonnie back to Elena's house, making them promise to stay at home, then drove back to the boarding house, with Alaric following in his car, hoping to find Damon there.

Stefan and Alaric were the only ones at the house, until Damon showed up about an hour later.

"Did you find any other evidence?" Alaric asked Damon.

Damon shook his head, he hadn't found anything that would have helped him figure out where she was. He felt so lost and so alone, even though he wasn't. The worst part of it for him, was not having any clue what could have happened to her. The only thing he could think of doing, was waiting until the morning and then pay a visit to Sheriff Forbes to see if she had heard of any new vampire activity in recent days.

Alaric promised Damon he would help out the next day and then headed over to stay with Jenna, he didn't want her to be alone tonight since they had no idea what had happened.

Once they were alone, Stefan asked his brother the question he was afraid to ask. "You don't think she just took off on her own, do you?"

Damon gave his brother the most hate filled look before he ran at him full speed, the brothers were suddenly catapulted through the air across the livingroom and falling through the large window on the other side of the room, shattering the window, shards of glass flying everywhere, they fell down on the ground outside.

Damon staggered up and picked Stefan up by the front of his shirt. He raised his fist about to punch him, then let go of his brother, who flopped to the ground.

"You're not worth it," Damon said with disdain as he walked into the house.

Stefan stood up, wiped the dirt, grass and shards of glass off himself and followed his brother back into the house. Damon was now sitting on an armchair having a glass of rye.

Stefan approached his brother slowly. "I'm sorry, Damon. I didn't mean anything by it. I just..."

Damon turned around, giving his brother a murderous look. "Don't say another word, brother. That is a threat and a warning."

Stefan heeded Damon's warning and went upstairs into his room, leaving Damon downstairs alone.

Damon drank a few glasses of rye, then went out hunting. When he came upon a young lady who was out alone, it took all his strength to not just savagely kill her there on the spot. He was so lost, angry and hurt. He couldn't imagine what had happened to Vella, but he wouldn't stop until he found out.

**A/N: I think i'm getting better at leaving cliffhangers teehee. I hope everyone is enjoying it so far. I would appreciate some feedback please and thank you.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25 ~ Tortured

The next morning after Halloween, couldn't have come quick enough for Damon. He had barely rested during the night and was physically as well as mentally exhausted. He made himself a pot of coffee and drank the whole thing before leaving the house.

Damon arrived at the Sheriff's office that day, just before nine. He was escorted by a deputy into the Sheriff's office to wait for her.

Sheriff Forbes walked in, surprised to find Damon there so early in the morning.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Salvatore?" she inquired curiously.

Damon smirked at her, laying on his usual charm. "I was just wondering how things have been around town lately?

"Why? Have you heard something?"

"No, nothing like that. I just figured with Halloween last night, you never know what kind of strange things might have happened."

The sheriff shook her head. "Nothing here in town, but a couple towns away there have been a couple of mysterious animal attacks in the past few days."

Damon was bothered by this news. He knew that the attacks were probably from a vampire or perhaps more than one, which was unsettling since Vella was missing. He thanked Liz for her help and asked her to let him know if there was any news, she made him promise to let her know if he heard anything.

Damon went home to let his brother know what he had learned. His brother in turn called Elena, who told Alaric, who had still been at the house. Alaric, hearing the news, drove over to the boarding house to see what he could do to help.

Damon was so worried and distraught, he could barely think straight. It was Stefan who suggested that Damon and Alaric drive to the town the attacks happened in, so they could investigate. Stefan wanted to stick around and make sure Mystic Falls was protected while they were gone.

Since it was the only possible lead they had, Alaric and Damon headed to the town with the mysterious attacks. They checked out the locations of the attacks, but all they managed to figure out was that it had been a vampire.

On the drive home, Alaric finally asked the question that had been bothering him all day. "What would vampires want with Vella? She doesnt have any enemies, does she?"

Damon knew Vella didn't have any enemies, but he knew who did, him. A deep pang of guilt suddenly washed through him, he would never forgive himself if something happened to her because of him and his past. He never answered Alaric's question either, but Alaric knew not to push him, he was looking frantic and deadly, so he left it alone.

Neither Alaric or Damon said another word to each other the whole ride back to the boarding house. Alaric dropped Damon off and headed back home.

Damon went up to his room when he got home. He looked around at all the things that reminded him of Vella. Her clothes from the night before were still laying on the bed, from when she changed into her costume. Her make up kit was still sitting open on the long dresser. Her purple silk robe was still hanging on the back of the door and the scent of her was all over the room. Damon looked around at everything, feeling devastated, like something large was sitting on his chest making it difficult to breathe. He slumped down on to the bed with his head in his hands and let a couple of silent tears roll down his face.

"This is my fault," Damon began muttering to himself quietly.

Damon's heart was breaking. What had began as a dull ache, was now so painful he wanted to die. He hadn't really realized until today, how much he really loved Vella and couldn't live without her.

Damon sat on the bed feeling pitiful for a short time, before getting up to pace around the room feeling frantic and lost. He tried to think of anyone who would want revenge on him, but the list was so long he didn't think he would ever narrow it down.  
As the day turned to evening and the sun was going down, Damon was laying on his bed half way between awake and asleep. He had been spending his time reliving all of the moments he had shared with Vella, when suddenly he had an epiphany.

Damon ran down the stairs to find his brother sitting on the couch reading a book.

"I think I know who might have done something to Vella," Damon began to explain. He looked at his brother trying to say it out loud, but he found he couldn't.

Stefan looked at his brother with concern. "Who?"

"You aren't going to like my answer, brother."

"It can't possibly be that bad, can it?" Stefan asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"Remember when I went out of town to get Vella's necklace?"

Stefan nodded.

"The woman I got it from told me that Katherine didn't want me to have it."

"Katherine!" Stefan exclaimed. "You think Katherine had something to do with this?"

Damon could feel his brother's panic now as well as his own. Neither one of the brother's ever thought they would see Katherine again, nor did they want to.

"But why, Damon? Why, Vella? Why now?" Stefan asked, knowing his brother would have no idea.

Damon looked at Stefan with a look of fierce determination. "I don't know, but if she hurts Vella, she's going to wish she had never met me."

Stefan laid his hand on his brother's shoulder. "You and me both, Damon."

The silence that followed this exchange between the brothers was as powerful as words. Both of them understood exactly how the other felt at this moment, no words were needed.

Now that they knew who they were possibly looking for, it would make it a bit easier to search for clues.

Damon and Stefan made sure their cell phones were charged up and left the house to search for clues. Damon called Alaric and let him know what they were up to and to make sure that he would keep an eye on Elena and her family while they were out on the hunt, which he agreed to do.

The brothers began by searching at opposite ends of town, Damon took the North and East and Stefan took the South and West. They began by searching for old or abandoned buildings and any other type of building that a vampire would be able to occupy without having to be invited in.

As Stefan made his way towards the south part of town, he came upon a bunch of warehouses and old buildings to search. The first three buildings he came up empty. but as he approached the fourth, walking through a copse of trees, he found a discarded cell phone. Picking up the phone, he examined it carefully. He thought it looked like Vella's, but he wasn't sure.

Stefan pulled his cell phone out of the pocket in his black jeans and dialed Vella's cell phone number. Almost immediately the discarded phone began to rang and the call display read; 'Stefan's cell.'

Stefan, excited by the clue he had just found, flipped open his phone to call Damon and let him know what he had found, but before he finished dialing his number, something hit him from behind that sent him flying. Stefan landed face down in a bunch of grass and weeds, as he tried getting up to see who had attacked him, everything went black, he was unconscious.

When Stefan became conscious again, he had a hard time opening his eyes, they felt heavy. He tried moving around a bit, but soon realized he was chained up to something by his arms. His arms were chained and he was slightly hanging, his feet barely touching the floor. He managed to open his eyes slightly, taking some time to focus in the darkened room. Glancing forward from where he was chained, he realized he was in an empty warehouse. As he tried to struggle loose of the chains that were binding him, he heard sound coming from beside him. With some effort, Stefan managed to get his feet flat on the floor, twisting around to look for what was making the noise, to his shock and dismay, it was Vella.

Vella was hanging by some heavy chains as he was, only she was able to touch the floor with flat feet. She was hunched over slightly and looked unconscious. Her skin was so pale and dry looking and she had several wooden stakes protruding from various places on her body, dried blood was staining her clothes, which was the old wedding dress she had been wearing as a costume the night she disappeared. She was quietly moaning in pain.

"Vella?" Stefan whispered. "Can you hear me?"

Stefan repeated this a few times, but Vella never answered him, so he decided to save his strength.

It was a short while later, when a door, almost directly in front of Stefan, about 100 feet away, opened and three dark figures walked into the room. They walked closer and closer to him, until they stood about ten feet away.

"I'm so glad you're awake, Stefan," called the voice, which Stefan immediately recognized as Katherine's. "My boys usually get carried away with the vervain."

Stefan was stunned, he wasn't sure what to say or do. It had been 146 years since he had last seen Katherine and he had hoped to never see her again.

Katherine walked closer to Stefan, stopping about a foot away. "It's a shame things have to be this way," she said in an eerily quiet voice. "But you got in my way." She stuck her hand into a bag one of her minions was holding and pulled out a long wooden stake, pausing for a second, she then thrust it deep into the soft flesh in Stefan's upper left thigh.

Stefan screamed out in agony. Even in the darkness, Stefan could see Katherine was smiling with pleasure at his pain.

"Awww, I bet that hurt, didn't it?" Katherine taunted. "The vervain on the end helps. As you can see, Vella seems to have liked it."

Stefan looked away from Katherine for a moment, glancing at Vella, who seemed to be moaning a bit more now, then looked back at Katherine.

"Why are you doing this?" Stefan asked through gritted teeth.

"That's simple," she replied with an evil grin. "Because it's fun."

"But why hurt, Vella? What did she ever do to you?"

Katherine looked over at Stefan, glancing over at Vella then back to Stefan again. "She didn't do anything, but Damon did."

"I don't understand."

Katherine laughed evilly. "Why does she matter to you, Stefan? Is your brother sharing her with you, like he did me all those years ago?"

Stefan narrowed his eyes at her angrily.

"Oh no, did I offend you?' she asked sarcastically, enjoying the taunting immensely. "You were always so sensitive, Stefan. I see time hasn't changed anything."

Stefan just glared at Katherine angrily, not able to get any words out.

Katherine stood still for a minute just glaring at Stefan, until Vella began to stir.

"Ah, now comes play time," she said happily as she walked over to Vella, grabbing her by her hair. "Guess who is here with you, my dear?"

Vella's eyes opened wide, looking hopeful. She tried looking around but Katherine pulled her hair backwards, forcing her head up.

"Stop it!" Stefan yelled. "Leave her alone!"

Vella's look of hope was dashed when she heard Stefan's voice.

Katherine began to cackle maniacally. "Aww too bad it wasn't Damon, but this will be almost as fun." She stuck her hand out at one of her minions, who in turn handed her another stake, which she drove straight into Vella's left shoulder.

Vella screamed weakly, having little strength for much else.

Katherine turned her head to watch the look on Stefan's face as she drove the stake through Vella. The look of pain on his face made her squeal in delight.

Stefan was now livid. He couldn't stand to be here and watch while Katherine tortured Vella, he needed to get out of here, the quicker the better. He tried to break the chains, but he knew they were made of iron and there was no chance he would ever be able to break them.

Katherine watched Stefan carefully as he struggled to get out of his chains, completely amused. She watched until she was bored and then without another word, her and her minions walked out the same door they had come from.

Stefan looked over at Vella hoping she was still awake. "Vella?"

Vella moved slightly and moaned. It took alot of effort but she managed a whispered, "What?"

"Are you okay?"

All Vella could do was moan in reply, she had no strength for anything else and she was in too much pain.

"I swear I will get us out of this," Stefan promised, even if he wasn't sure how he would.

It was a few hours later when Katherine returned to have some more fun torturing Vella. Stefan did his best to anger her, so she would torture him instead, but Katherine didn't fall for it. She was getting too much pleasure out of his misery and if he wasn't alert it wouldn't be as much fun for her.

Katherine continued her visits every few hours or so for the next day. Vella's face was becoming even more sunken and gray now and she had stakes protruding from almost every place on her body. She no longer screamed as Katherine would plunge them into her body, she was too debilitated to make anything more than quiet moans and whimpers. The only thing that kept Katherine entertained was Stefan's distress.

Stefan wasn't sure how much more he could take before he went insane, he prayed Damon would find them soon.

**A/N: I was going to wait to post this chapter, but I changed my mind. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did writing it.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26 ~ Katherine

When Damon had finished searching his part of the town, he tried calling his brother on his cell, but got no answer. He found it odd, but figured he might have just turned off the ringer. Instead of waiting for his brother, he decided to check out his part of town too.

After several hours of searching and still no word from Stefan, he began to worry. He called Alaric and asked if he had heard from him, but he hadn't. Damon decided his best bet would be to head home and wait for Stefan there.

Damon waited at home as patiently as he could, but as each hour passed by with no word from Stefan, he began to feel more and more uneasy. When midnight rolled around, he knew something must have happened to him too.

Damon was downright pissed now. He wanted Katherine's head on a silver platter. He wasn't going to rest until he found Vella and Stefan.

Damon decided to go out and hunt, he knew he was going to need his strength. He fed on four different people before he went home to grab a couple hours of sleep before the sun came up.

Not long after the sun came up, Damon called Elena's house and warned her about the danger and how she had better not leave her house. He then called Alaric and made him go over and stay with Elena again to make sure she didn't try to look for Stefan, he didn't need anymore distractions.

Damon headed back to the South part of town, knowing it was the last place Stefan had checked.

Even though Stefan had lost track of time, he could tell by the windows, some had cracks in them, that the sun had just came up not long before. Katherine had been by to torture Vella only a few minutes ago, so now was the time.

Stefan wiggled and pulled at his chains, trying to escape them, but they didn't budge. He did feel his wrists slipping slightly though, which gave him hope. It took every ounce of strength, but eventually he pulled his right arm free of the chains, leaving his left arm hanging there awkwardly. With his right arm, he finally managed to pry his left arm free of the chains.

Being as quiet as he could, Stefan walked over to Vella and got her free of her chains, which was easier since she had been without food for much longer than he had. He caught her before she fell, and gently laid her on the ground and began pulling out the stakes that were protruding from her one by one, which took him several minutes. He then tried picking her up, but even though she was light, he was also weakened from not feeding.

"Vella?" Stefan said quietly as he shook her lightly.

"Mmm."

"Come on, Vella. I know you're a fighter, don't give up."

Vella began moaning, before opening her eyes. She blinked her eyes several times, trying to get everything into focus.

"You're awake!"

"What's going on?" Vella mumbled weakly.

"I got loose of the chains, we need to get out of here before Katherine comes back," Stefan explained.

"No, no, no. Don't worry about me, I'm too weak. Get yourself out while you can."

Stefan gave her a serious look. "I'm not leaving you here."

Vella was too weak and in too much pain to argue. She tried to get up but she couldn't even get herself up on to her side.

Stefan could only think of one thing to help. "Vella. Take my wrist, take some of my blood."

Vella shook her head in refusal. "You need you're strength."

Stefan looked at her seriously again. "Either do it or I will force feed it to you!"

Vella sighed, she wasn't strong enough to fight with him. She took his preoffered wrist and bit down as hard as she could, which was barely strong enough to puncture his tough skin, but it did the trick. She lazily drank from Stefan's wrist until he took it away a minute later.

Stefan stood up and offered his hand to Vella. She took it gladly and with Stefan's help, managed to get to her feet. They slowly shuffled along to a door that was about thirty feet behind where they had been chained up. It was locked, but Stefan managed to break the rusty lock easily. He pushed open the door and peeked his head out, looking around to see if it was safe. Seeing nothing but trees, tall grass and weeds, he walked outside, Vella leaning on him for support.

Damon found his way to the row of warehouses in the South part of town. He had initially ignored them, since they were in use and wouldn't make an ideal place to hide, but he felt there had to at least be some clues here. As he approached one of them, he found Vella's cell phone and a little farther away, he noticed a spot where it looked like there had been a struggle recently and another phone, which he realized was Stefan's.

Damon's anger was now reaching it's limit. He began searching all the buildings nearby. By the third building, he wasn't any closer to finding anymore clues, but he was beginning to sense there were vampires nearby.

As he walked into an empty grass clearing between two warehouses, he was suddenly flanked by two male vampires, Katherine's minions.

"She said you would come for your brother and girlfriend," mocked the tallest vampire, who had long dark hair.

Damon gave the vampire a deadly look. "Where is Katherine?" he demanded.

The second vampire, who was slightly shorter than the other vampire and had short brown hair, was the one who answered Damon's question. "She sent us to deal with you."

Damon sneered. "I see Katherine's play things are eager to die today. The more the merrier."

The short vampire ran super speed towards Damon, but Damon easily dodged him, managing to trip the vampire and send him flying towards the other one. The two vampires attacked Damon simultaneously, but Damon had his many years of experience guiding him, which these newer vampires didn't. In one fluid movement, Damon grabbed a long sharp piece of wood that was lying on the ground, stabbed the tall vampire through his chest, pulled out the piece of wood, got behind the shorter vampire and stabbed him through his back, piercing his heart, both vampires dying instantly.

"Not even tough enough to break a sweat," Damon uttered to himself.

Damon took a few steps forward towards the warehouse, when he noticed a figure standing in the shadow of the building, it was Katherine. She was wearing black jeans and a dark blue t-shirt, she reminded Damon so much of Elena.

"What a shame, you killed my play things," Katherine mocked. "Too bad I have to do the same with you, Damon."

Damon stared at Katherine angrily. "What have you done with Vella and Stefan?"

"You mean you don't miss me?" she said sneering.

"Is that what all this is about, Katherine?"

"You had so much potential, Damon. Too bad you had to go and ruin it."

Damon was getting angrier by the minute. He didn't feel like standing here trading questions or insults with her, he just wanted to find Vella and Stefan. "If you have something to say Katherine, you better say it now!"

Katherine gave Damon an amused smile. "You didn't look for me when you found out I wasn't dead, that disappointed me."

Damon interrupted. "I don't care about you, Katherine. You used and abused me and did the same to my brother. Because of you, I hated him for years. Then I found out you were alive and didn't want me, it hurt at first, but I soon got over it. You weren't worth it."

Katherine's look of amusement turned to one of rage. "And that's why I made you pay. First, by torturing your beloved girlfriend, second by making your brother watch while I tortured her and now thirdly, with your life."

Each of Katherine's declarations made Damon angrier until he was completely blinded by his rage. He stood there with his fists balled up tightly, waiting to see if Katherine would make the first move.

Katherine just glared at Damon with a sneer on her face, hoping and waiting for him to make the wrong move.

As they stood there facing each other, Damon saw some movement behind Katherine in the tall grass, but before he could see what it was, Katherine turned on her heels and ran towards the noise.

Damon began running in the same direction when he heard his brother yell, "Damon!"

Stefan had his arm around Vella, still letting her lean on him for support. When he saw Katherine coming towards him, he put Vella on his back and began to run as fast as he could in his weakened condition. He ran through a copse of trees and into a field of tall grass and weeds where he tripped on a rather large stone that he couldn't see for the tall grass. As Stefan tripped, Vella couldn't hold on and she was sent flying past him, falling with a thud face down in the grass.

Katherine easily caught up to them. She stood in front of Stefan, her face twisted in a sick sneer. Her eyes fell on Vella lying helplessly in the grass unmoving, that was her target. Stefan went to stand up, but Katherine was too quick and grabbed him by the arm, throwing him behind her, where he landed in front of Damon, who almost tripped over him.

Katherine walked up to Vella, pulling out a piece of wood that she had tied around her belt, getting ready to stab her. She heard Damon yell, "NO!" She turned her head for a second to look at Damon, so he could see her evil smile and then turned her attention back to Vella.

Damon, acting on instinct, took the piece of wood that he had used to kill Katherine's minions and threw it at Katherine as hard as he could. It flew threw the air, hitting Katherine in the back, piercing her heart. She staggered for a few moments, then fell over dead, landing beside Vella.

Damon ran over to where Vella was. Kicking Katherine's body out of the way, he lifted her up in his arms, looking her over. Her face was dry, sunken and gray, her hair was dry and limp and the rest of her body still had open wounds all over. He turned to see his brother walking up behind him.

"What happened to her, Stefan?"

Stefan looked at his brother with a tortured, sorrowful look. "Let's just get her home, I can tell you there."

Damon opened his mouth to refuse, but he had to agree with his brother, he needed to get her home so he could get her something to eat. He shifted Vella's weight in his arms a bit and was about to run towards home, when Stefan remembered his car wasn't very far away

"What about Katherine's body?" Stefan asked Damon.

Damon stopped for a second before he answered. "Leave it here, we will deal with it later."

Stefan nodded in agreement and led Damon to where his car was parked.

**A/N: The next few chapters aren't quite as action packed, but I will get back to that.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27 ~ A Stronger Bond

After arriving home, Damon laid Vella gently on the livingroom couch, while he went and found a blood bag that they had in the basement fridge. Stefan meanwhile left his brother alone and went out to hunt some animals.

When Damon came back to the livingroom, Vella was trying to sit up.

"Hey, let me help you," Damon said as he laid the blood bag on the side table and assisted her to sit up, as he did Vella smiled a weak smile at him.

Damon picked up the bag of blood, opened it and handed it to Vella, who took it eagerly.

Vella drank every last drop from the blood bag, which began to make her feel slightly warm inside. Almost immediately, her color came back, her eyes were no longer sunken and the wounds on her body began healing.

Damon watched Vella with loving eyes as she began looking better. He sat beside her, put his arm around her and pulled her close.

Vella cuddled up with Damon, feeling secure for the first time in days. She didn't want to think, she didn't want to talk, she just wanted to stay in Damon's strong, protective grip for as long as she could.

"I'm sorry there was only the one bag of blood," Damon apologized. "We can go out hunting as soon as you feel better."

Vella nodded her head slightly so he would know she heard, but she never opened her mouth.

Damon and Vella cuddled with each other for an hour, before Stefan came home from his hunting trip. Stefan ignored the two of them and went up to his room so he could call Elena and let her know what was going on.

After his call with Elena, Stefan came down into the livingroom and sat in one of the armchairs close to the couch.

"Are we going to take care of her body?" Stefan asked.

Damon looked at his brother, who looked very stressed. "Yes, we should before it gets found by someone else."

Vella buried her head into Damon's chest and squeezed his arm. She didn't even want to think about Katherine and she definitely didn't want Damon leaving now.

"Please, don't go, Damon," Vella begged.

Damon felt a twinge of guilt as he spoke. "We have to my love. I swear we won't take long."

Vella sat up, looking Damon in the eyes, her eyes filled with pain and fear. "Please."

Damon kissed her forehead wearing an apologetic smile. "I wouldn't leave you if I didn't have to. I will call someone to stay with you if that's what you need."

A single tear fell from each of Vella's eyes. "Yes, please. I don't want to be alone right now."

Damon nodded and got up from the couch, walking into the kitchen to find where he had left his phone. Stefan followed him into the room.

"I can stay with her Damon."

Damon picked up his phone from the counter and turned to look at his brother curiously. "Don't you want to finish this once and for all? 146 years and the torment she inflicted on us is finally through. I would have thought you would want to make sure she was gone."

Stefan did want to go and make sure it was all over, but since the ordeal he had shared with Vella, as well as his blood, he had a stronger connection with her and he felt she still needed him.

"I do, but I don't think we can leave Vella alone."

Damon narrowed his eyes slightly. "That's why I'm calling Alaric. She will be safe with him."

Stefan knew he was right, but he didn't like it. He really felt he should stay with her so they could talk.

Damon made his call and walked back into the livingroom to sit with Vella. He picked up her hand and squeezed it gently.

"I called Alaric, okay?" Damon asked her. "He can keep you safe while me and Stefan are gone."

Vella nodded her head in agreement, even though she didn't really agree. But of all the people, she was glad it would be Alaric, next to Damon and Stefan, he would be able to protect her.

After Alaric arrived at the house, Damon and Stefan left on their not so pleasant errand.

Damon parked the car in an isolated place, then he and Stefan walked to the area behind the warehouses where the confrontation with Katherine had happened. They came upon the bodies of Katherine's minions first, which they quickly disposed of, then went to where Katherine had died.

The two brothers stood beside Katherine's body for a few minutes, neither speaking. It was Stefan who broke the silence first.

"I'm sorry, Damon. I never should have let her get between us."

Stefan could tell by the look on his brother's face that he accepted the apology, but he wasn't going to say it. It was enough for Stefan though.

"Stefan," Damon began. "I want to thank you for looking after Vella. She never had a chance against Katherine."

"You don't have to thank me, really."

"Yes, I actually do," Damon said gratefully. "Without you, who knows what she would have done to her."  
Stefan shuddered slightly at the thought, the horrible scenes of Vella being tortured ran through his mind.

Damon was studying his brother's face, which seemed to have gone pale. "Are you okay?"

"No, not completely," Stefan answered truthfully, "But I will be."

The two brothers dragged Katherine's body to a secluded location, ripped her body to pieces and buried it deep. Relief washed over both of them as they finished their deed, knowing that Katherine could never hurt them, or anyone else, ever again. Both would reflect on their own feelings when they were alone later.

Back at the boarding house, Damon thanked Alaric for keeping Vella company and then he left.

"Do you feel up to hunting, Vella?"

Vella was starving, but she didn't really feel like going out anywhere, she just wanted to stay in the house and cuddle up with Damon and forget about the past few days.

Damon could sense Vella's reluctance and he didn't really want to push her, but he knew she needed to feed. He gently persuaded her, until she gave in. After they returned from hunting, they came home and spent the rest of the day and night cuddling in bed.

The next morning, Damon received a call from Sheriff Forbes asking him to come to a meeting of the council. He didn't want to leave Vella, but he figured it was best to find out what was going on. After giving Vella several long kisses, he left.

Stefan was supposed to go to school that morning, but he decided, after Damon left, that he would stay home and spend the day with Vella. He figured she would need the company and he needed someone to talk to.

Vella was quite happy when Stefan told her he was going to keep her company. She knew she would be fine at home alone but she really didn't want to be alone.

Spending the day with Stefan made Vella feel much better and much more secure. The two of them talked about their ordeal with Katherine and then talked about their lives. Vella even told him some things she hadn't told Damon. They spent the rest of the day watching movies.

It was just after 3 p.m. when Damon drove up to the house, with Elena just behind him. They walked through the door and headed into the livingroom, but what they saw made both of them cringe.

Vella and Stefan were nestled up on the couch watching a movie. They were laughing so much they hadn't realized Damon and Elena were standing there watching them. As Stefan accidentally laid his hand on Vella's thigh, Damon cleared his throat loudly.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Stefan and Vella's giggling ended abruptly, with the two of them looking innocently.

Damon didn't even wait for an answer to his question, instead he stormed upstairs.

Vella looked at Elena, who looked a bit dazed and confused. "Nothing's going on Elena, Stefan just wanted to make sure I was okay." She stood up, walked past Elena and went up the stairs to talk to Damon.

Elena sat on the couch with Stefan and gave him an understanding look. "Your brother will get over it. I know you weren't doing anything wrong," she said as she leaned over to kiss him.

Vella walked into the room to find Damon with his back to her, staring out the bedroom window. She stood in the doorway to the room waiting for him to say something, but he didnt. Instead she walked up behind Damon and put her hand on his shoulder.

Damon turned around, looking forlorn. "What was going on with you and my brother?"

Vella looked at him shocked by his accusation. "Nothing."

"Really? Nothing?"

Vella was feeling angry now. She had not done anything with Stefan she wouldn't have done with a friend and she wasn't going to take his attitude.

"Nothing!" she yelled. "Are you saying you don't trust me?"

Damon looked at her, searching for the right answer. He did trust her, but he didn't trust his brother.

"Of course, I trust you, Vella. You're the only person I do trust"  
"Then show it!" she said as she grabbed him by the arm. "I thought after what had happened with Katherine you would have learned your lesson."  
"That's exactly why I can't trust him, because of Katherine," Damon began to explain, but she interrupted.

"I AM NOT KATHERINE!" she yelled angrily.

Damon knew she was right, she wasn't Katherine, he was just paranoid and now he was making her suffer for his own insecurities. He grabbed Vella roughly and pulled her towards him in an embrace, holding her tightly.

"I'm sorry," he whispered in her ear as she struggled to get loose.

Vella gave up on struggling out of his grip, even though she was still angry.

"You don't know what it was like, Damon. What Katherine did to me. And your brother did what he could, but he had to watch and listen while she tortured me, it bothered him. I'm sure you didn't even think about that, did you?"

Damon had to admit he hadn't even thought about what it had been like for his brother. A giant wave of guilt washed through him, making him feel worse than when he had walked into the livingroom. He loosened his grip on Vella, who used the opportunity to hold his head in her hands, making him look directly into her eyes.

"I love you and only you," she said gently. "And I will not come between you and your brother, I would leave before that happened."

"You wouldn't?" Damon asked not believing his ears.

"Damn right I would!" she paused for a second, trying to think about what she wanted to say. "Your brother is like a brother to me, like the brother I never had. I don't have any stronger feelings for him than that."

Damon felt another wave of guilt wash over him. Deep down he knew she was telling the truth, but he still had a hard time believing it. He spent too many years angry at his brother because of a woman and he definitely didn't want to repeat that, but just like a bad habit, it was difficult to give it up so easily.

Vella coaxed Damon onto the bed, where they laid together for hours just talking and at some point they both dozed off.

Vella woke up a short time later, while Damon was still sleeping soundly. She got out of bed as carefully as she could and walked downstairs and into the livingroom to get a drink. The sun had already gone down and it was dark, except for the lamp that was on in the livingroom, where Stefan was sitting reading a book.

Vella poured herself a glass of scotch and sat down on the couch.

"How are things with you and Damon?" Stefan asked.

Vella thought for a second before she replied. "I think they will be fine. How about you and Elena?"

"Never been better."

"Good.'

The two sat quiet for many minutes, Stefan reading, Vella thinking. It was Vella who broke the silence first.

"I need to ask you for a favor, if I can, Stefan."

"Of course," he replied, though a bit apprehensively.

"Please be careful what you say to your brother about what happened between us. And definitely don't tell him about sharing your blood with me," she paused. "I know you did it to help me, but he might not see it that way. You know how he overreacts."

Stefan agreed, although reluctantly. He didn't think it was a good idea to keep any secrets from his brother when he already suspected something was going on between him and Vella. He didn't think he had done anything wrong, but Damon might not see it that way.

Vella finished her glass of scotch then bid Stefan goodbye. She took a stroll outside in the chill November evening air, watching all the creatures of the night scurrying out from their daytime retreats in search of food. Looking at the Lapis pendant she wore, she realized how much she would be like these creatures, if not for it's protection. Suddenly, she began to feel her thirst more powerfully crying out to be fed, she couldn't deny it even if she had wanted to. She went in search of her prey, which she found quickly, a lone man out walking his dog. She took some blood from him, which quenched her thirst, and headed back home.

When Vella arrived home, Stefan was no longer in the livingroom reading, so she assumed he was either hunting or in bed. She grabbed herself another glass of scotch, drank it down quickly and then headed up to her room. When she walked in the doorway, she saw Damon's sleeping figure still lying exactly how he was when she had left the room earlier. She crawled into the bed, snuggling up to him and fell asleep quickly.

**A/N: Next chapter will be posted in a day or so.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28 ~ Space

When Vella woke up the next morning, she turned over in bed to find Damon wasn't there. She got out of bed, had a shower, got dressed and headed downstairs to find Damon. She passed through the livingroom and headed into the kitchen, where she found Damon sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper. She thought it was odd that he didn't greet her when she walked in, but pushed it out of her mind.

Vella poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table beside Damon.

"Good morning, Damon."  
Damon was silent for a few seconds, then set the newspaper down. He narrowed his eyes at Vella before speaking.

"A good morning for you or for me?"

Vella looked at Damon confused and hurt. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Forget it," Damon said as he got up and walked out of the kitchen.

Vella was completely lost, she had no idea what was going on, but she was going to find out. She followed Damon into the livingroom, where he was just standing in front of the large window, that had recently been fixed, when Damon and Stefan had flown through it days earlier.

"What's your problem now, Damon?"

Damon turned around quickly to face Vella. "My problem is you."

"Me?" Vella exclaimed, clearly confused. "What have I done?"

As Damon stared at her, he began to feel a bit guilty. He was angry at her for keeping secrets, but he was also glad she was here and safe. He turned around again to look out the window, not able to face her.

Vella was upset, she wanted to know what she had done to hurt him. She walked up behind him, laying her hand on his shoulder.

"Please, Damon. What have I done to upset you?" she asked softly.

Vella's touch calmed Damon slightly. He no longer felt the urge to yell or snap, but he was still angry and hurt.

"I heard you last night," Damon began as he turned to face her. "Talking to Stefan."

Vella felt many emotions wash through her at once; guilt, fear, sorrow, but the guilt was the most painful one.

"I'm sorry, Damon. I wanted to tell you, but..."

Vella looked away from Damon, unable to finish her sentence.

Damon took his hand and gently forced her to look at him.

"I know what you're going to say. That I wouldn't have understod and I would have made a big deal about. But more than that, I'm upset because you felt the need to keep it from me."

"I wanted to tell you but I knew you would be jealous. I don't want to come between you and your brother," she said apologetically.

Damon grabbed Vella and pulled her into an embrace. He wasn't really angry anymore, he was just hurt. Hurt for reasons that she didn't even understand. He wasn't even sure if he could explain."

"Vella," Damon said quietly. "I would have been angry at first, you're right. But I would like to think I would have calmed down when I had a chance to think about it. Stefan saved your life and for that I will always be grateful, but he also took something from me at that moment, something I can never get back."

Vella's guilt was overpowering her. She had no idea Damon would be so hurt over something that seemed so innocent to her, if only she could take that moment back.

"I'm sorry."

Damon squeezed her tightly and kissed her on the top of her head. "You don't even know what you're sorry for."

"Then tell me, please," Vella begged.

Damon sighed. "Remember how I explained about the connection we would have when we first shared blood?" Vella nodded. "Well, it's stronger between two vampires than it is between a vampire and a human. You and my brother now have a bond that can't be broken." Vella opened her mouth to say something but Damon stopped her. "I have never shared blood with another vampire, I never wanted to feel that strong of a bond."

Vella broke free of Damon's embrace and grabbed a hold of his face, forcing him to look straight into her eyes. "We did not share blood, he shared his, that's it. I am not Katherine and I don't have feelings for your brother, and most of all, I love you. Did i miss anything?"

The truth hit Damon like a ton of bricks. He realized he was being silly. Vella loved him and that was all that mattered at the moment. He picked Vella up and carried her to the couch and began kissing her passionately, soon they were making love on the couch. 

About an hour later, Vella was up in her bedroom gathering up clothes to do laundry when her phone rang, it was her best friend, Mara. She hadn't spoken to her in weeks. After a quick conversation, Vella decided she wanted to go visit her friend, she hadn't seen her in a long time.

Mara had been her best friend since she could remember and considered her to be more of a sister. They had grown up together, their parents had been good friends and they had even went to university together, before Vella quit and went to nursing school instead. Mara had become a doctor and moved to Chicago to work. Vella hadn't seen her since.

Vella began to pack up clothes and things for her trip without a second thought. She thought that giving Damon a few days of space would help him get past his issues. She really wanted to see her friend, it had been too long and she was the closest thing she had to real family.

When she was finished packing her stuff, she threw it all into her car, hastily scribbled a note for Damon telling him where she was going and hopped in her car.

Vella had been driving for a few hours when her phone rang, it was Damon.

"Hello?"

"Vella, what are you doing?"  
"Didn't you read my note?"

Vella could hear Damon sigh. "I read it, but why didn't you wait for me?"

"I haven't seen my best friend for a really long time, so I decided to visit her."

Damon sighed again, this time louder. "But why now?"

Vella wanted some space from Damon, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to tell him that after all that had happened recently.

"It was just a spur of the moment thing, I didn't really think about it, I'm sorry."

"When are you coming back?"

"A few days, not sure yet. She doesn't even know I'm coming."

"I will let you go then," he said, trying to hide his disappointment. "I love you."

"I love you too," she said and closed her phone.

A few hours after the phone call, there was a huge accident on the highway that had traffic backed up. Vella got out of her car and assited to the injured people until the ambulance showed up. Since she was now filthy and covered in blood, she decided to stop by the nearest motel to shower, change clothes and have a quick nap before driving the rest of the way to her friend's house.

Vella was about an hour away from Chicago when her thirst struck her full force and she had to pull over on a quiet road in a small town outside of Chicago. It was late afternoon so it took awhile to find a good location to hunt, but she found a park that was full of tree cover and trails. She came upon a young couple taking a walk, compelled them, fed from both and then hopped back into her car and drove on to Chicago.

When Vella arrived in Chicago, she was thankful for her GPS system. It had been a really long time since she had been in a large city and she was sure she would have gotten lost without it. At least she could now tell Damon that she hadn't wasted her money on it, as he thought she had when she purchased it.

After getting stuck in the late afternoon traffic, she drove down the street her best friend lived on. Mara had no idea that Vella was coming to visit, so Vella parked on the side of the road a few houses away from hers so she could surprise her. It was already dark now and she could see lights on in her house, but as she walked up the walkway to the little bungalow her heart sank. She knew she would have to be invited in. What if she couldn't get her friend to invite her in? Mara knew about witches and vampires too, she really hadn't thought any of this out and now it was too late to turn back.

Vella stood at the front door for a minute trying to suck up her courage. It would have been so easy for her to turn her emotions off, but then she wouldn't be able to be happy to see her friend, so that was out of the question. Figuring it wasn't going to get easier, she knocked loudly on the door and took a half a step back.

Vella listened as she heard soft footsteps coming towards the door, her heart would have skipped a few beats in excitement, if it was still beating. As the door swung open, she saw her friend standing before her, as beautiful as she remembered.

Mara was a few inches taller than Vella, very slender and her long wavy red hair was pushed to the side. Upon seeing Vella at her front door, her mouth was open wide in surprise and she managed to utter an excited, "Oh my God!"

Vella looked at her friend with the biggest smile and jokingly said, "So can I come in or what?" and put her hands on her hips.

"Of course!" Mara exclaimed excitedly. "Come in, come in."

Vella walked through the doorway, over the invisible threshhold and sighed in relief. She then hugged Mara so tightly, Mara almost had to push her off, Vella had forgotten her own strength in her excitement.

"What are you doing here?" Mara asked her best friend.

"What, you don't want me here?" Vella asked jokingly.

Mara laughed. "Of course I want you here, I'm just surprised to see you is all."  
"Well that was the point silly!" Vella beamed.

"This is great! I am so happy to finally get you here, Vella. Now you can finally meet David!" Mara said quickly.

Vella laughed, she had forgotten how much she missed seeing her best friend. "So where is your sexy doctor man anyway?"

Mara blushed a little before answering. "He went to grab us some take out. I wish I had known you were coming, I would have got him to pick up some extra food."

"No, that's fine, I just finished eating before I came over."

"Okay, but what about a glass of wine? You won't say no to that, will you?"  
Vella grinned, "Of course not."

The two friends walked into the kitchen. Vella sat down at the table, while Mara poured a glass of wine and handed it to her.

"Aren't you having some too?" Vella asked curiously.

Mara looked at her with a strange look. "I would love to but I can't."

Vella narrowed her eyes at her suspiciously. "Why not?"  
Before Mara could answer though, Vella realized why she wasn't going to drink, she was pregnant. She could hear the heartbeat of the little one beating in her friend's belly.

"Can I use your bathroom?" Vella said quickly before Mara could answer.

"Of course. It's down the hallway, third door on the right."

Vella quickly walked into the bathroom, locked the door and sat on the lid of the toilet. She put her hands to her face and let some silent tears fall. There were a lot of things she missed about being human, but most of them she could live without. Having a baby was one that broke her heart desperately. She had always wanted children and she hadn't thought about not being able to have any since she had become a vampire, but now she had to stare those regrets right in the face. She sat quietly on the toilet for a minute, then flushed the toilet, splashed some water on her face and dried it off. She took a deep breath and prepared herself for her friends news, then left the bathroom.

"Sorry, was a long trip," Vella said as she walked back into the kitchen.

Mara smiled at her happily, unaware of the deception. "I wanted to tell you when I called yesterday, but David wanted me to wait." Vella smiled as she went on. "I'm pregnant and we're getting married!"  
Vella jumped up and hugged her friend, more gently this time, excited. She was a little jealous about the baby but she was truly ecstatic for her friend.

"So when is the wedding?"

"June fourth next year and I want you to be my maid of honor."  
Vella nearly spit out the wine she was drinking in surprise. June fourth was the day she had died and become a vampire and a day she really wanted to forget. Pain and regret washed through her as she tried to look happy for her friend.

"Are you okay?" Mara asked her friend concerned.

Vella smiled at her. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm just shocked is all. So much all at once. Wow."

Mara was a bit suspicious of her friend. She thought maybe she was hiding something, maybe problems with her boyfriend or work, she just didn't seem like herself. But Mara tried pushing it out of her mind, she was too happy her friend had come to visit to mar it with her suspicions.

Before either of them could speak again, Mara's fiance walked into the house carrying a paper bag filled with take out.

"Oh," David said in surprise. "I didn't know we had company."

David was just as sexy as Mara had told her. He was tall, at least six feet, had short dark hair, gentle but mysterious eyes and a well built body, from what she could see.

Mara took the bag of food and placed it on the kitchen table and gave him a quick kiss. "This is Vella. I didn't know she was coming, it was a surprise."

David smiled and shook Vella's hand. "Nice to finally meet you!"

"Yes, it's great to finally meet you!" Vella said cheerily. "Anyone that makes Mara happy, makes me happy."

Vella sat talking while Mara and David ate their dinner. After they were done, David went to watch TV so he could leave the girls to talk.  
Vella mostly sat and listened while Mara talked about David and her job, she was a doctor at the same hospital as David. She tried to avoid talking about her life as much as she possibly could, but her friend knew her well enough to know something was wrong.

"So how come you came alone to visit me?"

Vella gave her friend a sarcastic smile. "You know me too well." Mara chuckled slightly. "I got into a disagreement with Damon and I felt I needed some space. And after you called I thought visiting you would be the best solution. I miss you so much."

"I know, I miss you so much too."

The two ladies sat in silence for a minute, nothing needed to be said. They both missed each other and they both loved each other like sisters. They had grown up together. They learned to ride bikes together, they learned to swim together, they learned to drive together and they learned about boys together. They had a bond even many blood sisters would never share.

"So you never told me where you're staying?" Mara asked.

"Oh, I never got that far," Vella laughed. "All I thought about was coming to see you."

"Well, I want you to stay here then. We have a spare room."

Vella was going to disagree, but she couldn't think of a valid excuse, instead she relented. After bringing her suitcase from the car and placing it in the spare room, she announced that she wanted to go for a quick drive and that she would be back shortly.

Vella drove to a nearby park looking for her prey. She found two young men, whom she compelled and fed from, then went back to Mara's house. She was feeling a bit guilty for not telling her friend about what she was, but she knew how she would react. Mara knew about vampires and she knew about the attack on her family. She was positive she would probably never speak to her again and she couldn't bear the thought of it. She knew at some point she wouldn't be able to see her friend because she doesn't age, but she didn't want to worry about that now.

While sitting on the bed in the spare room, Vella began toying with her phone. She wanted to talk to Damon, she missed him terribly, but she knew she couldn't call him, she had been the one asking for space. Instead, she pulled out a picture of him and looked at it for awhile, before falling asleep.

**A/N: I know it's not action packed but I hope you like it any way. New chapter should be up in a day or so.**

**Thanks for reading.**


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29 ~ Love vs Fear 

Mara and David left for work very early the next morning, leaving Vella to spend the day by herself.

Vella left Mara's house around 10 a.m. to do some shoppng and see the sights around Chicago. After stopping by to check out the Sears tower, she did a bit of shopping and stopped at a tiny bar and had a drink. By this time it was only mid afternoon and Vella was bored. On a whim, she decided to stop by the hospital to visit Mara. After asking for directions to her floor, she went up the elevator to the fifth floor and found Mara writing on a clipboard.

"Vella!" Mara exclaimed happily. "I didn't know you were stopping by!"

"I just wanted to surprise you. I was out shopping but I'm bored already."  
"Seriously?" Mara looked surprised. "You are bored of shopping?"  
Vella began to laugh. "Yeah, well, it's more fun with a friend."

Mara shook her head and laughed.

"Stay here for a minute, I will be right back," Mara said and left down the hallway.

Vella stood around waiting uncomfortably for a couple minutes, the smell of blood was making her head swim. She hadn't worked in months and even though she had no problems when she stopped to help at the accident scene on the way to Chicago, the blood seemed to be affecting her now. As Mara approached, she acted like she had a headache and needed to get out of the bright lights.

"I took the rest of the day off, someone owed me a favor," Mara announced. "Are you going to feel like going out?"

Vella smiled. "Of course, I'm sure I will be fine."

As the ladies were heading to the elevator, a man who seemed very distraught was fighting with an orderly and a security guard. He broke loose of them and ran towards the elevator where Vella and Mara were standing. Vella grabbed the man easily, forgetting her strength, and stared into his eyes. She asked him to calm down, which he immediately did, accidentally compelling him. The security guard thanked Vella and walked the man back down the hall.

Mara looked at Vella completely shocked," How did you do that?"

Vella did her best to downplay the situation. "Oh, that was nothing. I've spent alot of time in the psych ward is all."

Mara gave her friend a suspicious look but didn't say anything else.

The two ladies left the hospital and walked down the street. Mara was hungry so she wanted to stop at a little restaurant around the corner. They stopped, but Vella refused to eat, saying she had already eaten. After eating they stopped by a shoe store and a few clothing stores, where both ladies bought a few things, just like old times.

Vella's head began hurting again as they stopped by a flower shop, Mara wanted to stop and grab some fresh flowers for the house. Her friend was picking up bouquets and checking them out, asking Vella what she thought about each one. As Mara picked up one rather unusual wildflower bouquet, Vella almost flinched at the sight of one of the flowers, Verbena, also known as vervain. Vella's head began to ache more painfully, so she excused herself and went outside to wait for her friend.  
When Mara came outside with her bouquet of wildflowers, Vella cringed inside. She wasn't sure she would be able to stay in her house with those flowers. Vella began to think back to her childhood and she knew Mara knew about vervain, she used to wear it just like she did. She began to feel a bit paranoid, but she tried to push it out of her mind, there was no way her friend suspected what she was, how could she? She was here in the sun walking around, as far as Mara knew vampires couldn't go out in the sun, the thought helped Vella relax a little.

After a quick trip to the grocery store, they went back to Mara's house to cook a nice meal to surprise David. As Vella was chopping up some onions, her hand slipped and she cut her hand. Mara insisted on looking at it, but Vella couldn't let that happen, not while it was healing right in front of her face. She excused herself and went to the bathroom and put a bandage on it, even though it was fine, but her friend was a doctor through and through and she knew she would insist on seeing her cut if she didn't cover it up.

A short while later, David came home to a nice dinner and the three of them ate and talked.

"Aren't you hungry?" Mara asked Vella. "You barely touched your food."

"No, not really. I had a big lunch."

Mara gave her a strange look while Vella cleaned up the table, on her insistence of course. The three sat at the table talking for awhile afterwards, until David's pager went off.

"I have to go to the hospital honey," David said to Mara and gave her a kiss goodbye.

David left, giving the ladies another chance to spend time together talking about old times. Vella turned on the TV to a chick flick, while Mara made some popcorn and tea. She came back from the kitchen and handed Vella a bowl of popcorn and a cup of tea.

"You still prefer your tea with two spoons of sugar, right?" Mara asked.

"Yup," Vella replied with a smile.

The two ladies began watching the movie and talking. As Vella took a drink of her tea, she began to suddenly feel light headed and weak and then she realized why, her tea was spiked with vervain. She looked at Mara confused and then she passed out. 

Vella opened her eyes slowly, trying to adjust to the light. Her eye lids felt heavy and her head was aching. Realization finally hit her and her eyes flew open to find Mara standing over her holding a long piece of wood with a sharp end.

"What the hell?" Vella uttered.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that...vampire?" Mara said shaking.

Vella looked at her friend sadly as a few silent tears fell from her face. "Please, let me explain," she begged.

Mara looked at her obviously terrified, shocked and saddened. "I...I...I..," she stammered.

"Please, Mara. If you ever loved me," Vella begged. "Just listen to my story and once I'm done I will leave, I promise."

The hand Mara was holding the piece of wood in was shaking violently. She wanted desperately to believe her friend wouldn't hurt her but she was terrified beyond belief.

"Keep holding the piece of wood, but let me explain, please?" Vella begged more desperately.

Mara nodded slightly in agreement.

Vella began to explain to her friend everything that had happened with Gabriel and Lillith and her sister Violet, not leaving out the part about Damon of course. Once she was done explaining she tried to convince her friend she meant no harm to her.

"Mara, please believe me when I say I don't want to hurt you. I have never killed anyone," she paused for a second to think about Mrs. Lockhart, but that was an accident and she wasn't really responsible. "You are my only family, I could never ever do anything to hurt you, I swear. Please say you believe me."

Mara looked at Vella thoughtfully. She thought her friend was being genuine but how could she tell. But in her head she was asking herself questions like, "If she wanted to hurt me wouldn't she have done that already?" and, "Why would she drive all the way here just to hurt me?" She wanted to believe her friend was the same old girl she grew up with, the one who snuck a smoke with her behind her parents' backs and the one who was there for her when her dog died and the one who was there for her anytime she ever needed a friend. She wanted to believe desperately, but fear was clouding her judgement, an overpowering fear.

Tears were running down Vella's face in waves. She didn't want Mara to be afraid of her, she just wanted to hug her and make her feel better like she always had, only this time it was her fault she was scared and upset. As she was about to speak agaiin, Mara dropped the piece of wood on the floor and began crying.

Vella struggled to stand up, still a bit weak from the vervain, and walked over to her friend and hugged her tightly. The two women cried together for a short time, before sitting on the couch and talking.

"I swear to you Mara, I would kill myself before I would ever hurt you, in any way."

Mara believed Vella. She knew deep down inside, that her friend was still the same as she always had been, only now she was a bit different.

Vella was relieved. She knew if her friend had tried to kill her tonight, she would have let her before she could ever hurt her.

"So how did you figure it out?" Vella asked her friend curiously.

Mara stared at her smirking. "Let's just say I remember all of the weird things I learned from your mother."

Vella laughed a little. She had to admit it was a strange childhood.

The women spoke for a little while before David made it back home. Mara wanted to talk to David about Vella, so Vella decided to go out, she was hungry any way.

Vella decided to go downtown and have a few drinks before she went to hunt. She drank a little more than she had planned and was a little tipsy when she left the bar. As she was walking past an alley just a block from the bar, she thought she had seen someone in the alley, a perfect place to hunt. She turned into the alley and then noticed three men standing behind her.

"Looks like you made a wrong turn," said the tallest man in an eerie voice as he pulled out a knife.

Vella looked at the men with an evil grin on her face.

"Ooh, this one looks feisty," said the short man with the dark greasy hair. "This should be fun."

Vella grinned even more evilly as she spoke. "If you want to live, I would suggest turning around and leaving."

The three men began to laugh maniacally, the other two pulling out knives as well.

The middle sized man with brown hair spoke to the others. "Can I have my turn with her first? I'm tired of being last."

That was it for Vella, she was livid. She had planned on compelling the men first and feeding but now she couldn't think straight, all she could see was red. She walked backwards deeper into the darkness of the alley so no one would could see what was about to happen. Predictably, the men walked closer and closer until they were only a few feet away.

Vella's anger had reached its apex. She was working completely on instinct now, she didn't even realize her face had changed and her fangs had grown. She ran vampire speed around the men, then backed them into the wall at the end of the alley. The tallest man tried to slash at her with his knife, but she deflected it and he only managed to cut himself. Now Vella could smell blood, which drove her into a frenzy. She backhanded one of the men and kicked another, both of them falling over because of the strength she used. The third man she grabbed by the hair, exposed his neck, bit him so savagely and drank his blood until he died. The other two men tried to scramble out of the alley but Vella stopped them. While holding one of the men, she ripped the throat out of the other man, dropping him to the ground when she was finished. She then took the last man, ripped his throat out and drank his blood until his heart stopped beating, throwing him down in disgust.

After Vella calmed down, she realized what she had done. She had killed not one, but three men. She stood there trying to justify the deaths to herself, that they had wanted to rape her and deserved what happened, but it still bothered her that she had lost complete control.

Vella ran back to her car and drove back to her friend's house, parking on the side of the road. She sat in her car crying for a short time, trying to come to terms with what she had done. "How can I ask Mara to trust me when I'm a monster?" she wondered.

Once she was able to compose herself, Vella got out of her car and knocked on the front door of Mara's house. Mara answered and let her in.

"Things went well with David," Mara explained. "He says if I trust you then he can too."

Vella was elated but she was now feeling mixed emotions. She hugged her best friend tightly. "I love you, Mara."

"I love you too, Vella."

The ladies talked for a little while, before Mara announced she needed to get sleep, she was exhausted. Vella went to her bedroom too. Mentally exhausted, she flopped a bit on the bed and pulled out her cell phone. She flipped it open and close a few times before she dialed Damon's phone number.

"Hello?"

"Hey sexy," Vella said, trying to sound upbeat.

Damon seemed to notice the trepidation in her voice. "It's nice to hear your voice. Are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm fine, just been a really long emotional day," she replied.

"Why, what's happened?" Damon asked concerned.

"My friend is smarted than I gave her credit for," she said letting out a chuckle. "She figured out what I am."

"What?"

"Everything is fine though, no worries."

Damon wasn't sure that was true, he sensed something in her voice. "Are you still at her house?"

"Yup, like I said, it's fine," she said, then there was a sound in the background of the phone that startled Vella. "Where are you?"

"Oh!" Damon answered startled. "I'm in town."  
"At this time of night?"

"Yes and I gotta go now. I love you."

"I love you too, Damon,' she said and flipped her phone closed.

Vella laid in the bed for a few minutes trying to shut out all of her thoughts. She decided to cuddle up to the fluffy pillows on the bed, thinking of Damon, and soon she was fast asleep.

**A/N: Next chapter should be posted in a day or 2.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30 ~ Surprise 

Vella woke up the next morning to the sound of loud music coming from the kitchen. She got up and got dressed and was walking to the kitchen when Mara came dancing down the hall nearly running her over. Vella and Mara began laughing hysterically and danced into the kitchen together.

"I forgot how much of a morning person you are Mara," Vella said laughing.

"Well you used to be too, remember."

Vella sighed, "Yeah, I remember being crazy once upon a time."  
Mara pretended to be shocked, picked up a handful of cereal O's and threw them at Vella.

"Hey!" Vella yelled and grabbed some cereal and threw it back at her.

The two ladies threw cereal at each other until the box was empty, all the while laughing hysterically. David came in and nearly tripped on the discarded cereal that was strewn all around the kitchen, which brought more hysterical laughter. David gave the ladies a dirty look, then began laughing as well.

Vella grabbed the broom and helped Mara clean up the cereal, when there was a knock at the door.

"Vella!" Mara called. "Can you come to the door please?"

Looking confused, Vella set the broom back in the broom closet and walked to the front door where Mara was standing with the door partially open.

Mara gave her a questioning look. "Umm, should I invite him in?" she asked as she opened the door.

Vella grinned as she saw Damon standing at the doorway with a flirty smile. "Hmm, I don't know," she teased. "Should she let you in Damon?"

Damon narrowed his eyes and pretended he was offended, which made Vella laugh at him. She looked at her friend seriously. "It's up to you Mara, this is your house."

"I just want to know if it's safe to let him in?" she asked unsure.

Vella looked at Damon and then back at her friend. "Yes, he will behave himself," she answered, glaring at Damon daring him to object.

Damon just smiled his million dollar smile at Vella as Mara invited him in. The three of them walked into the kitchen where David had finished cleaning up the stray cereal that had been missed with the broom. After the introductions, Vella pulled Damon down the hall into the bedroom she was staying in.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Damon grinned at her trying to look innocent. "Aren't you glad to see me?" beaming a huge smile.

Vella put her hands on her hips in frustration. "Don't play games with me."

Damon's smile disappeared from his face and was replaced with a look of concern. "I was worried about you and...I missed you."

Vella turned her back to Damon. "I missed you too."  
Damon walked up behind her and put his hands on her hips. "Then why can't you face me? Are you still angry with me?

Vella wasn't angry with him, in fact she was happy to see him, she did miss him. However, she was still feeling guilty about her lapse in control the night before and she wasn't sure she wanted to face it. Thinking quickly, she shut off her emotions about the night before and turned around to face Damon.

"I'm not angry with you anymore," she said smiling. "I just needed some space."

"So you're not mad that I showed up here unexpectedly?"

"No, not really," she said smiling, "How could I be?"

"I don't know," Damon said grinning as he bent down to kiss her passionately.

The two lovers kissed for a minute before Damon's mouth was on Vella's throat. She pushed him away before he could bite her.

"Not here, Damon," Vella said with a serious look.

Damon wanted her so badly at this moment, but he relented, he knew this wasn't the place or the time. Vella grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him into the kitchen, where Mara and David were eating their breakfast.

After some small talk, David invited Damon to go golfing with him, it was one of the last days of the season. Damon agreed, which made Vella a little apprehensive, but she knew he wouldn't hurt him. Mara was a little apprehensive too, but as long as Vella wasn't worried, she wouldn't be either.  
Before he left, Vella warned Damon that if he hurt David, she would do the same to him. Damon laughed it off but he knew she was serious.

Vella spent the day with Mara seeing some sites and more shopping. After David and Damon were back from golfing, they all went out to dinner and then to a movie. After returning from the movie, Mara and David retired to their beds, they had to get up early the next day, while Vella and Damon stayed up.

Damon coaxed Vella into going hunting, which she didn't want to do, but she was sure everything would be okay with Damon. As the memories of the night before came flooding back, Vella began to feel more and more apprehensive. She couldn't tell Damon what had happened, not now. And she definitely couldn't refuse to eat, she was too hungry for that. They came across two joggers in the park, whom Damon compelled. He fed from one of them, while Vella fed from the other. Vella almost got carried away and Damon had to pull her off of her prey.

When they were close to Mara's house, Damon finally confronted her.

"What was that back there?"

"What?" Vella answered, trying to seem innocent.

Damon glared at her. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. You've never had difficulty controlling yourself, what's changed?"

Vella looked at him sadly. She really didn't know what was going on, she just knew something had changed inside her and she didn't like it. She managed to convince Damon to wait until they were back at Mara's house. When they got there, they went straight into the bedroom to talk. Vella told Damon everything. About the three men, about their intentions and the bloodlust, she didn't leave anything out. She watched Damon's face the whole time, but it seemed to be frozen in the same look of concern. When she was finished, she waited to listen to his admonishment, but it didn't come. Instead, he pulled her into a tight embrace and told her everything would be okay, while stroking her hair. Vella wanted to believe him, but she was feeling too guilty at the moment. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in Damon's arms. 

Early the next morning, Vella woke up to find herself sleeping alone in the bed. Listening carefully, she could hear Mara and David in the kitchen talking in low voices and the shower was going, she assumed it was Damon. She put her robe on and walked into the bathroom, jumping in the shower with Damon. After they were clean, they got dressed and joined Mara and David in the kitchen.

"It was great having you both here," David said. "I wish I didn't have to go to work, but duty calls."

Vella hugged David while Damon shook his hand and then he left the house.

Damon said his goodbyes to Mara and then went to the bedroom to pack up his and Vella's things, taking them to their cars so the ladies could have a private moment.

Vella said goodbye to her friend tearfully, hugging her and making her promise to visit Mystic Falls when she had some time off.  
Mara agreed and reminded her she would be busy planning her wedding soon and she would need Vella to come and visit to help her. As Vella headed to the car, Mara asked to speak to Damon for a second.

Damon walked back to the front door curiously.

Mara gave him a stern look. "Promise me you won't break her heart." Damon nodded in agreement. "And, let me know how it goes."

Damon smiled, nodded and walked back to the car.

Vella hopped into her car, Damon hopped into his and they drove the long drive home, not stopping along the way. The pulled up to the boarding house about 14 hours later.

Vella was exhausted by the time she unpacked all her stuff. She went up to her room and laid down to rest, but Damon had other ideas. After giving in to Damon and letting him have his way, she fell asleep in his embrace. 

When Vella woke up several hours later, she noticed Damon wasn't in the bed with her. She wondered what he was up to since it was so late. She looked around the house for him, but he wasn't anywhere to be found. Her teeth seemed to be aching, she knew she needed to feed. She looked in the fridge to see if she could find a bag of blood, but there was none. Afraid of hunting alone, she went in search of some animals. As she was stalking a deer, she came upon a lone man hunting in the woods. Vella couldn't resist the overwhelming urge to feed. She compelled him and carefully drank just enough of his blood and headed straight for home, where she went straight to bed. 

As the sun was peaking up over the horizon, Vella woke up. She turned over, only this time she assumed Damon wasn't in the bed already, so she wasn't disappointed. She showered, got dressed and went down to make some coffee. She sat at the kitchen table reading the newspaper and drinking coffee. She was so engrossed in an article that she didn't notice when Damon ran in the door vampire speed, which made her jump.

"Good morning sexy," Damon said with a seductive grin.

Vella eyed him suspiciously. "Good morning."

"How are you feeling this morning?"

"Better if I had woke up with you next to me," she said with a grin.

Damon grinned back but didn't say anything else. He grabbed a cup of coffee and snagged the newspaper from Vella, which earned him a dirty look. Instead of arguing, Vella got up and washed the few dishes that were there, while Damon read the paper.

"I hope you got some nice clothes while you were in Chicago," Damon said, making Vella look at him in wonder. "We've been invited to dinner tonight."

Vella looked at him strangely. "Who invited us?"

Damon rolled his eyes in mock annoyance. "Jenna and Alaric. They've invited Stefan, Elena, Jeremy and Bonnie too."

"Really?" she asked incredulously. "I wonder if they are finally going to make it official."

Damon shrugged. "I was going to refuse but I figured you would want to go...out of curiosity."  
"Well it won't be for the food," she said and laughed, Damon laughed too.

"I've got a few errands to run. See you tonight," Damon said as he kissed Vella quickly and left.

Vella stood in the same spot for a second trying to figure out what was going on. She decided to let it go, instead she went through all the things she had bought on her trip looking for something nice to wear. It took her quite a while to decide on only one outfit, but she did. She wasn't sure where they were having dinnner, she had forgotten to ask in her surprise, but it didn't really matter. She waited for Damon, expecting him to be home at any time, but he didn't show up until much later.

As Damon was getting dressed, in a dress shirt and dress pants, Vella thought he looked so hot she couldn't control herself. She tried kissing him, but he reminded her they would be late if they didn't leave soon. Vella backed off a little disappointed, but he was right.  
When they arrived at the restaurant a short time later, Stefan and Elena were outside waiting.

"Anyone know what this is about?" Vella asked Stefan and Elena.

Elena shrugged and answered, "No."

It was only a couple minutes later when Jenna and Alaric showed up, with Jeremy in tow. They were all shown to their table, Bonnie showing up a couple minutes later and they placed their order and began talking.

About ten minutes later, a group of people came into the restaurant that upset Vella by their appearance. Many of them were members of the Founder's council, including Sheriff Forbes, Mayor Lockwood and his son Tyler, they were seated at a table nearby. She did her best to pretend she hadn't seen them, Damon grabbed her hand under the table squeezing it in support, which helped her relax.

After appetizers, Jenna and Alaric announced to the group of them that they were now engaged to be married. Everyone at the table acted shocked, even though they weren't. Everyone was completely happy for them, even Damon.

Everyone ate their dinner, Stefan, Damon and Vella trying to stomach as much of the food as they could. It made it more difficult for Vella that several people at the Founder's council's table kept looking over at her as if they were spying, but she did her best to ignore them.

As everyone at the table was finishing their main course, Vella noticed that Jenna, Alaric and Stefan seemed to be shifting around in their seats as if in anticipation of something. She silently cursed her overactive senses for imagining things that probably weren't there, as well as cursing her superior hearing, she didn't want to be able to hear what the council was talking about.

A waiter came to the table carrying a small silver covered tray and stopped beside Damon. Vella watched what happened next as if it was a dream.

Damon got up from the table, made Vella turn herself towards him and got on his knees. The waiter lifted up the cover of the silver tray to reveal a box with a diamond ring, which Damon picked up. Holding on to Vella's left hand, the ring in his right, he looked lovingly into Vella's eyes and asked her to marry him.

The whole restaurant was now watching the scene with baited breath, but no one seemed to be more shocked than Vella. Her mouth slightly open in a shocked expression, tears building in her eyes, she tried to answer but it didn't seem to want to come out. It took a second but she was finally able to exclaim, "Of course!"

Damon slid the beautiful five carat pink diamond ring on to Vella's ring finger, then getting off his knees he pulled her up into an embrace. As Vella hugged him, tears of joy were falling down her face and the restaurant patrons were quietly clapping. As Damon let go of her, Vella stepped back, suddenly realizing where she was, her face would have been red if she wasn't a vampire. Damon held her chair for her as she sat down again and then he did the same.

All of the people at the table were happily smiling at Damon and Vella, but none was happier than Stefan. He just hoped Vella knew what she was getting herself into.

After dessert, Damon and Vella thanked everyone at the table for the wonderful meal and they headed home to spend some time by themselves.

**A/N: It might be a couple days before I update. I do have the next chapter written but I have some cleaning up to do and I havent even started on the one after that.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31 ~ Wedding Worries

On the drive home form the restaurant, neither Damon or Vella spoke. But once they were inside the house, that's when Vella got the nerve to speak up.

"Have you gone completely insane, Damon Salvatore?"

Damon looked at her with a smirk. "Not any more insane than usual."

Vella gave him a deadly glare. "I'm being serious here!"

Damon tried his best to be serious, but he was in too good of a mood to be upset right now.

"Okay, what's wrong now?"

Vella glared at him again and then turned her back to him furiously.

Damon was confused by her attitude. He thought she should be happy, not upset. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. Vella tried to push him off, but instead he tightened his grip.

"I'm not letting you go until you tell me why you're upset."

Vella sighed and quit fighting his grip, Damon taking the opportunity to turn her around so she could face him.

"Why did you put me on the spot like that?"

"I thought I was being romantic," he said sounding hurt.

Vella gave him a weak smile. "You were, I was just surprised. It's nothing we ever talked about before."

"Well I wanted it to be a surprise."

"I'm sure I wasn't the only one surprised. Did you see the look on the Mayor's face?"

Damon frowned. "Is that all this is about - them?"

Vella shook her head and rolled her eyes. "No, that isn't it, but it didn't make things any easier for me."

"You know you are really killing my happy mood here," Damon said seriously.

Vella glared at him, but ignored his comment. "Do you want to hear what I have to say or not?"

"Of course," he replied in a hushed tone.

"If we had been alone, I would have said no," she said point blank.

Damon looked at her completely in shock. "Are you kidding me?"

Vella sighed. "I wish I was. But I never got a chance to talk to you about this."

"What is there to talk about, seriously?" Damon asked her, beginning to get angry. "You either love me or you don't."

Vella laughed mockingly. "You think it's as easy as that? And you've lived how long? I would have thought you would know by now that nothing is that simple, especially love."

Damon had to admit to himself that what she said was true, or at least was true for him before he had met Vella, but now things seemed so simple. Why was she making this so difficult?

"I will be quiet and let you explain," he said.

Vella gave him a half smile in gratitude. "With all that's gone on in the past, especially the past two months, don't you think this is rushing things a little?" Damon didn't answer, figuring it was a rhetorical question. "I mean, we have all of eternity, don't we?"

"What exactly are you saying Vella?" he asked curiously.

Vella wasn't really sure what she was saying or feeling, she just knew she was confused. She didn't like the feeling of being out of control of her life, even though it seemed to be happening more and more frequently. It was only days ago she was angry with Damon for being jealous and she needed some time away from him, is that why he asked me now? Is he afraid of losing me? I don't want to marry him just so he can feel secure.

Vella couldn't answer his question, she didn't know the answer. The look on her face must have told Damon this as he swept her up in his arms and began kissing her. He felt a little resistance as they were kissing. After a minute, he stopped kissing her and put his hands on either side of her face gently, speaking with a serious look on his face but in a gentle tone.

"I love you Vella, for an eternity. Just as I promised you, after you died." Vella frowned slightly. "I want everyone else to know how much I love you too. Is that so much to ask of you?"

Vella felt a slight rush of guilt run through her at his words. She loved him beyond anything she could ever have imagined and she knew Damon felt the same way. So why did she feel getting married was a mistake? As she looked into Damon's beautiful blue eyes, she felt her knees weaken. All she wanted to do was make him happy, so why was she over thinking this?

Vella smiled at Damon, happy tears forming in her eyes. "Vella Salvatore, I think I like the sound of that."

Damon smiled back at her and then grabbed her in a strong embrace, kissing her passionately. They were so involved in the moment, they missed the couch by mere feet, making love on the floor right where they had been standing. When they were finished, the sun had gone down, so they went hunting and then stayed up half the night discussing the wedding.

Damon got up early the next morning to make some wedding plans. He had promised Vella he would take care of everything, except the dress. Vella already knew what she was going to do, she could see what she wanted in her head, she just needed it to be made for her. She remembered an old friend who had become a fashion designer. After looking her up, she found out she lived in Atlanta, Georgia. She called her and made an appointment to see her the next day.

Vella was the one up really early the next morning. It was about a nine hour drive to Atlanta from Mystic Falls and she didn't want to be late. She left as soon as she was dressed and ready, arriving in Atlanta about eight hours later. Once again she was happy she had her GPS device with her.

When Vella pulled up to her friend Angie's place, she noticed her place of business backed onto a house. This could be a problem, she thought. But as she came to the front door, her friend must of spied her through the large window and opened the door and exclaimed, "Hurry up and get in here!" Vella walked in the door, breathing a sigh of relief as she walked past the threshhold. Her friend pulling her into a tight embrace, smiling excitedly.

Vella did her best to describe how she pictured her wedding dress in her head, while Angie sketched it out on paper. After Vella accepted the design, they talked about fabrics and color, Vella did not want a white dress. Angie did a lot of pacing around and thinking, which had Vella curious and confused.

"What's wrong, Angie?"  
"This dress is going to take a lot of time for me to make."

"Well don't worry about the money, I have more than enough to cover it."

Angie shook her head. "I'm not worried about the money. I'm just worried about having it done by July."

"But it's only November?"

Angie began to pull at her lip as if she was thinking. "I know, but I have this magazine thing to do. I have to come up with a unique design to showcase my work, but I only have until March. And if I wait until then to start on your dress, I may not get it done." She began pacing. "I'm already late with my Spring fashions."

Vella suddenly got a great idea.

"Why don't you use my dress as your design for the article?"

Angie's look of worry turned to a look of wonder, than of excitement.  
"That's a brilliant idea!" she exclaimed. "Only, there is one little problem."

Vella raised her eyebrow. "What's that?"  
"You have to model it for the photo shoot, since it will be made to fit you."

Vella suddenly regretted her idea. She didn't want her picture being taken and published for all to see. What would happen years later when she still looked exactly the same?

"I don't really think I can do that, Ang."

Angie frowned, "Why not?"

"I'm not a model and I don't have any inclination to be one."

"Please Vella, don't make me beg."

Vella wanted this dress badly and she knew her friend would be able to do it, but was the cost worth it?

"Can I get back to you?"

Angie nodded. "Sure, but I need an answer in a couple days, it might take me a couple weeks to get the materials I need for this dress."

"Okay, I think I can do that."  
"Before you go though, let me take your measurements so I know approximately how much material I will need."

Vella let Angie take her measurements and thanked her before getting back into her car and making the long drive home. With all that was on her mind, it took her a bit longer to drive home than it did on the way there. As she pulled up to the house, Damon was waiting outside for her.

"How did it go?" he asked curiously.

Vella grinned. "It went fine but I'm not giving you any details. You can't see the dress until I walk down that aisle."

Damon rolled his eyes in mock annoyance. "I didn't want to see it any way."  
Vella smiled and chuckled. She knew the suspense would kill him, but she rather liked it that way. He was making all the plans as it was so she had no clue what he was planning.

The two of them went hunting before going to bed. As they laid in bed, Vella couldn't get Angie's deal out of her mind.

"Is something bothering you, love?"

"Actually, there is," she replied apprehensively. "To get the dress made how I want it and in time for the wedding, Angie needs me to do her a favor."

"What's that?"

"She needs me to model the dress for a magazine shoot."

"And, what's the problem?"

"Damon, sometimes you are so clueless," she said as she slapped him lightly.

Damon chuckled. "I am so not clueless," he said in his best dumb bimbo voice.

Vella began laughing and threw her pillow at him, making Damon tickle her in retaliation. When she finally pushed him off and he quit trying to grab at her, she explained her apprehension to modelling in a magazine.

"I don't think it will be an issue," he replied. "It's not like you're going to be in People magazine or something."

"When you put it that way," she paused. "I guess I can do it."

Damon smiled to himself, pleased. He hated manipulating her, but he knew she wouldn't have come to her decision so easily if he hadn't intervened.

In the morning, Vella called Angie and let her know she agreed to her terms. Angie was completely excited and Damon seemed to be as well, which kind of frightened Vella, but in a good way. She had agreed to let him take care of the arrangements, but she was beginning to think she shouldn't have. It was too late though, she knew he wouldn't quit now.

Later on in the evening, Vella was sitting in the livingroom alone, looking at her beautiful ring. It began to bring back some memories from the past. She walked up to her bedroom and pulled out her still partially broken jewellery box, opened the smallest compartment and pulled out a small diamond ring. She was sitting on the bed just holding the ring, when Damon walked into the room, startling her.

"I have something to talk to you about," Vella said seriously.

Damon looked at her strangely and sat on the bed beside her.

"I should have told you about this before," she said holding up the small diamond ring. "But it's something I have tried to forget about. I was engaged once."

Damon looked at her in shock. "You were? Why didn't you ever tell me this?"

Vella looked at him sadly. "I don't like to talk about it."

Damon narrowed his eyes slightly. "You don't like to talk about a lot of things. Sometimes I wonder how many more secrets you have."

"Damon!"

Damon looked at her, feeling slightly guilty, but it was the truth. He really wondered how many more secrets she had. He did feel bad though, he knew he shouldn't have said it the way he did.

"I'm sorry, but it's the truth, Vella."  
Vella looked at him with a cold glare. "And I'm sure you've told me everything about your 170 years on this earth, right?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Of course not, but I'm pretty sure you know about anything that's important."

Vella snorted and rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything else. Instead, she got up and put the diamond ring back into her jewellery box and put the box away. She then ran vampire speed down the stairs and out of the house. She ran for a few minutes with no destination in mind, just wanting to get away from the house and Damon. She ended up in the cemetary, tears streaming down her face. She walked over to a gravestone that was near her parents', but was much smaller and sat down beside it. The stone read, 'Here lies Tommy Richardson. Son, Brother, Fiance.'

Vella sat in silence, the tears had stopped now, and began thinking of her past. The day Tommy, her boyfriend of two years, proposed to her and how happy she was. She thought about all the plans they had made, the house they were going to buy, the children they were going to have. But then her thoughts turned to the day he died.

_They were driving to Mystic Falls from University during the Christmas holidays to visit Tommy's family. Vella had just found out she was pregnant and they were going to surprise his whole family with the news. They had just drove into the town boundary when something jumped in front of the car. Tommy did his best to swerve but the road was too slippery from the snowfall that had fallen during the night and they hit the side of the road, sending the car rolling over a few times, landing the right side up. Vella remembered opening her eyes after the car stopped rolling, feeling an immense pain in her side. She found they had rolled into the trees and a large dead branch that had fallen on top of some other trees had broken through the window. The giant branch had managed to pierce Tommy through part of his chest, out his side, under his arm and into Vella's side. After trying to move to see if Tommy was alive, the rest of the memory was a blur. Faces of people trying to rescue them..._

"What the hell?" Vella uttered quietly to herself, tears falling down her face. "I swear I recognized one of those faces, but who was it? Why can't I remember?"

Vella decided to forget about it, it was painful enough to remember that day. How happy she had been then about her future, after her past had been torn apart so violently. She realized that this had been partly to blame for her initial apprehension on accepting Damon's proposal. She wasn't even sure why she hadn't told him about all of this before, it's not like it was a huge secret. But the tears starting to form again told her why, she didn't want to think about all she had lost that day. Not only did she lose the love of her life that day, she lost her only chance at having a child. Now she would never be able to have a baby and it was more painful than she had realized.

Vella sat beside the grave for a short time trying to decide if she wanted to go home right now or if she should wait. It had only been a couple minutes when a large crow landed on the ground ten feet away from her.

Vella glared at the crow and stood up. She was about to chase it away when Damon came walking towards her through the shadows, the crow taking flight.

"Go away Damon!" Vella shrieked and turned to face the opposite way.

Damon walked up behind her slowly and quietly uttered, "I'm sorry."

"No, no you're not. Don't lie to me now!"

"Turn around, Vella...please?"

Vella was furious and the last thing she wanted to do was turn around, but she did. Looking into his beautiful blue eyes, she could see how sorry he was, but it would take more than that for her to accept his apology.

Damon looked at her lovingly. "I'm sorry, really. I didn't mean to say what I did how I did."

"But you did mean to call me a liar?"  
"I didn't call you a liar."

"Don't mince words with me Damon. It means the same thing."

Damon was flustered. He knew she was right, but that wasn't how he had meant it at all. He gave Vella a pleading look, hoping she would let him explain.

Vella watched Damon as his face changed from sorry to sorrowful. She knew deep down inside he hadn't really meant to hurt her, but with all the emotions flooding her at once, it was hard to let go of her bruised pride. He walked even closer to her, standing only inches away, then she slapped him as hard as she could across his face.

Damon's face instantly changed to that of the vampire within him, involuntarily. It took him a second to relax and then he grabbed Vella's hands as she tried to slap him again.

Vella was crying as Damon pulled her into a tight embrace. She tried to fight him off but gave up quickly, knowing she was not strong enough to get away. She continued to sob while he held her tightly. When her sobbing subsided, he apologized profusely, which she finally accepted. She then went on to tell Damon about Tommy and the baby.

"I'm so sorry, love. I wish you had told me sooner."

The two lovers never said another word to each other as they walked out of the cemetary and back to the boarding house. 

**A/N: I might get a little slower posting chapter for this story. I have ideas for a few different stories and may begin on those soon. I will keep updating this one though.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32 ~ Early Delivery 

Time seemed to start passing rather quickly for Vella. Her first Christmas as a vampire went reasonably well. She had convinced Damon and Stefan to have it at the boarding house and she was going to do all the cooking. She had invited Elena, Jeremy, Jenna, Alaric, Bonnie, Matt, Caroline, Mara and David.

While Vella did manage to do most of the cooking, she also managed to get several unsolicitated helpers. Elena and Bonnie refused to sit and watch Vella do all the work. Matt also offered to help, he didn't feel right sitting and watching either, though Vella thought maybe it had something to do with getting some space from Caroline who was acting particulary needy. The dinner ended up turning out better than she thought it would have.

Vella insisted on doing all the clean up and dishes herself, pushing out anyone that tried to help. Damon came in at one point and tried to distracted her with some kisses and nibbles, but she pushed him out of the kitchen too. It took her a couple hours, but she cleaned the whole kitchen up that night. When she was through, she joined Damon, Stefan, Elena, Mara and David in the livingroom.

They spent the night watching movies, until Mara and David were tired. Vella showed them to their rooms and then left with Damon to hunt.

The next day, Vella and Damon drove half way to Chicago to make sure Mara and David would make it out of Mystic Falls safely. 

Damon and Vella spent New Year's Eve over at the Gilbert house. For Vella it wasn't a happy occasion saying good bye to the year. She knew she was being silly but from here on out she would be spending every day of every year as a vampire and the future frightened her. She kept her feelings to herself though, not wanting to ruin the holiday with her pity party. 

January and February seemed to pass by so quickly for Vella. When March arrived, Angie called her and told her that her dress was ready and she needed a final fitting before the photo shoot, which was scheduled near the end of March. After the fitting, Angie told her the date and time for the photo shoot and asked her to come the day before so they could prepare. She wanted to refuse but there was no way she could now.

The day before the shoot, Vella left early in the morning to make sure she would get to Atlanta on time. Angie was paranoid and made her try on the dress, 'one last time' to make sure it fit. Of course Vella knew it would always fit. She spent that night in Angie's spare bedroom, though she hardly slept. Between nerves about the photo shoot and wishing Damon was with her, she couldn't relax enough to sleep. She had even made sure she had went hunting beforehand, but even a full belly didn't seem to help, the morning still came way too soon.

Angie woke Vella up early that morning, pumped her full of coffee, got her dressed and did her make up. By the time the magazine's crew showed up, Vella was ready, or at least as ready as she ever would be. The head photographer was completely impressed with the dress because it was so unconventional for a wedding dress. The writer who was writing the article to go with the photos, interviewed Vella as well, since she had had the idea for the dress. Vella had tried to refuse but Angie reminded her of her promise. By the time the shoot was over, it was already late in the afternoon. Angie tried to convince Vella to stay the night, but all she wanted to do was get home and sleep in her own bed, with Damon. 

The next two of months seemed to go just as quickly for Vella. She had made several trips to Chicago to help Mara with her wedding, which was becoming more difficult for Mara the farther along in her pregnancy she was. By the time her wedding day would come, she should almost be ready to have her baby.

Vella and Damon were spending the week before Mara and David's wedding, up in Chicago. Vella was constantly busy helping with wedding preparations, which left Damon quite bored. It was difficult keeping himself out of trouble when he really had nothing to do. Since David had alot of close family and friends, Damon's only job for the wedding was to escort Vella.

It was two days before the wedding. Vella was sitting at the kitchen table with Mara discussing some last minute plans, Damon was busy making himself useful doing laundry, even though he hated it. David was at work.

Mara stood up from the table and suddenly uttered, "Oh, no."

Vella looked at her with shock on her face. "Ok, don't tell me your water just broke, please?"

Mara looked at her friend almost panicked. "I wish I could tell you it hadn't, but it did."

Vella got up from the table and helped her friend into her bedroom, just as she began to get her first contraction.

"Call David!"

Vella helped her friend get undressed, into a nightgown and into her bed. She then ran back into the kitchen, grabbed her phone and called David. All she got was his pager, so she left him a message and returned to the bedroom.

Damon came running in, wondering what was going on.

"Do something useful and boil some water," Vella ordered.

"I always thought that was a cliche?" he asked curiously.

Vella sighed. "It's in case I need to sterilize something, just move it!"

Damon left the room to do what he was told, while Vella turned her attention back to Mara.

Vella was worried, in ten minutes she had managed to have two contractions, five minutes apart. She checked her cervix and was surprised to find she was already ten centimeters dialated.

"Mara, I don't think David is going to get here in time."

"What do you mean?"

"You are already dialated ten centimeters."

Mara looked at Vella like she had been speaking some other kind of language, clearly in shock.

"Do you want me to call 911?"

"No, you're a nurse. I'm sure you have delivered babies before."

"I have but..." her voice trailing off.

"Look at me Vella," Mara demanded. Vella turned to look at her friend. "I trust you. You know the ambulance won't make it here on time. And anyways, we had planned a home birth."

Vella nodded in agreement as Mara had another contraction.

"Push, Mara, push!"

After the contraction ended, Vella left the room for a second to grab as many towels as she could, as well as some baby blankets from the nursery. As she walked back into the room, Damon followed behind her.

"Get out Damon."

Damon looked at Vella curiously. "Why?"

"I don't think Mara needs an audience."

"He's fine,' Mara said while preparing for another contraction.

Vella turned to look at Damon with an evil glare, speaking quiet enough that only vampire ears could hear.

"You can't be here for this. Get out."

"Why?"

"I don't have time to explain," Vella said as Mara began pushing again.

Vella helped her friend get through the contractions and coaching her, but she was worried. The baby didn't seem to be coming and she was also worried that Damon would freak out with all the blood.

Vella began feeling Mara's stomach. To her dismay, she found that the baby was in a breach position and stuck. The only solution was to manipulate the baby while in Mara's stomach, but it would be painful and Vella had never actually tried it before. After explaining it to Mara, Mara agreed to let her try, she trusted her friend.

"Damon, I need your help. Stay up here by Mara's head and hold her hands," Vella explained. "This is going to hurt and she will need the distraction."

Vella closed her eyes a second, trying to calm herself. She then felt around Mara's pregnant stomach and began to push down on the baby, trying to force the head down. Mara screamed in agony, but Damon compelled her and she was able to relax somewhat.  
It took Vella a couple of minutes to manipulate the baby where it needed to be, but she managed to do it and do it safely. She then got Mara to push again and the baby came out easily after only a few minutes, screaming it's head off.

"It's a boy!" Vella exclaimed while Mara began to sob happily.

Vella cleaned the baby up, wrapped it in a blanket and was about to hand him to his mother, when Vella noticed Mara was unconscious.

"Take the baby!" Vella yelled to Damon as she thrust the small bundle towards him.

"I can't!"

Vella turned and looked at him and noticed his face had changed and his fangs were out.

"Look at me Damon. It's just a baby, you know you can handle that. Just stand outside the room with him, please."

"I can't, all I can smell is the blood. My head is swimming."

Vella slapped Damon across the face with her free hand, which seemed to make him calm down. She gently laid the baby in his arms and turned her attention back to Mara. Vella checked to make sure her friend was breathing, which she was. She hadn't had a seizure or a stroke and she hadn't lost more blood than was normal. It wasn't until she woke up a few minutes later than she realized she had passed out from the pain.

When Mara was able to sit up, Damon brought the baby back in and handed him to his mother, who was grateful, and then Vella and Damon left the room to let mom and baby bond.

Vella walked into the livingroom, flopped herself on the couch and covered her face with her hands.

"You were great in there," Damon said with admiration in his voice.

Vella looked at him, smiling weakly. "I'm glad it looked that way.  
"What do you mean by 'looked' that way?"

"I was freaking out on the inside," tears started falling from her eyes,"I thought Mara and her baby were going to die."

Damon sat on the couch and put his arm around Vella. "All that matters is that it turned out fine."

"What about you Damon?"

"What about me?"

Vella laughed weakly. "I thought you were going to go nuts back there."  
Damon laughed, "So did I."

It wasn't long before David finally made it home to be with his wife and newborn son. David checked his wife to make sure she was fine, which she was and then checked the baby, who was fine as well. He thanked Vella profusely for what she had done, even though she needed no thanks. After Mara was able to get up, Vella cleaned up her bedroom for her, making sure Damon wasn't around while she took all the bloody linens down to the laundry room.

Mara and David were so grateful for the help, they named their son Anthony Damon, which Damon played down, but Vella knew he was honored.

That night, Vella and Damon decided to spend the night at a hotel and give the new family their privacy. With all the visitors coming to see the new baby, it made them uncomfortable to be there. They returned the next day to help with the rest of the wedding plans, which was only in one day.

Mara had to get a last minute fitting on her dress, which threw many of the other plans out the window. But Vella did everything she could to make it go off without a hitch.

The day of the wedding went off exactly as it should have. After it was over, Vella did all she could for Mara and David. They had decided to postpone their honeymoon for a couple of months, so she helped clean up and whatever else was needed. They stayed that night but left the next morning so they could have their time together as a new family.

When Vella and Damon finally made it home, all they wanted to do was spend some alone time in their own room, but things didn't turn out that way. Stefan was waiting for them as they came home.

"We need to talk," Stefan told them seriously.

Damon glared at his brother. "Unless someone knows what we are and we need to leave now, we can talk later."  
Stefan was going to object, but the look on his brother's face said he better not. He figured the problem could wait one more day, at least he hoped so.

**A/N: Sorry I didn't describe the wedding dress but it's supposed to be a surprise for another chapter lol.**  
**The next chapter should be posted in a day or 2. Thanks for reading!**


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33 ~ The Graduation Party 

Damon and Vella slept in late the next morning. It was Vella who woke up first and made the coffee for them. While she was sitting in the kitchen reading the paper, Stefan came in startling her.

"Good morning, Stefan."

Stefan looked at her, his brow furrowed slightly. "Morning."

Vella frowned. "Okay, so tell me what you wanted to tell me last night."

Stefan poured himself a coffee and sat down beside Vella. "I think I would like to wait for Damon to get up."

"Why?"

Stefan looked at Vella searching for the answer that might satisfy her. He didn't want to tell her because he feared Damon would get angry for leaving him out, or was that jealous? Even though much time had passed since Katherine, Damon was still slightly jealous of Stefan, even though he had no feelings towards Vella, he loved Elena.

"It's just best to explain it to both of you at once."

Vella nodded in understanding and turned back to reading the paper. It was only a few minutes later when Damon joined them in the kitchen, poured himself a coffee, kissed Vella on the forehead and sat on the other side of her, giving his brother a dirty look.

Stefan gave his brother a couple of minutes to get some caffeine in him before speaking seriously.

"We have another...problem."

Damon and Vella looked at each other and then back at Stefan.

"Another vampire?" Damon asked.

"Yes, it seems to only be one of them, at least around here, and all of the attacks have happened at night."  
Vella stood up from the table and walked into the livingroom, she didn't want to hear anymore. She sat on the couch and turned the TV on to drown out her thoughts.

Damon walked into the room with Stefan behind him.

"Don't you want to know what's going on?" Damon asked Vella curiously.

Vella looked at him, clearly frustrated. "Why does this have to happen now? So close to the wedding?"

Damon sat beside Vella and put his arm around her, pulling her into an embrace.

"I'm sorry," Stefan said. "I wish I hadn't had to tell you this."

"We will just deal with it," Damon said, squeezing Vella.

"Are you sure Stefan?" Vella asked. "It might not be a vampire."

Stefan sighed. "I wish I could say that, but I am positive. I saw him. I just wasn't fast enough to catch him."

Vella shook her head in disappointment, but stayed quiet while Stefan told Damon everything that had happened while they were in Chicago. When he was finished, Stefan left the house to visit Elena.

Damon began stroking Vella's hair, speaking quietly. "This wasn't the homecoming I had planned."

Vella smiled at Damon and brought her soft lips to touch his, feeling him shudder in anticipation.

"Well we do have the house to ourselves for awhile," she said smiling deviously.

Damon smiled, wrapping his arms around Vella, their lips meeting in a passionate embrace. They kissed for moments before Vella had her fangs on Damon's neck, drinking his delicious essence. Damon moaned in pleasure while she drank and when she was done, he did the same to her, not wasting a single drop of her delicious tasting essence.

It had been over a week since they had been together and they wanted to take their time. Damon carried Vella upstairs to their bedroom where they could take their time enjoying each other, making love for hours. 

Stefan came back home late in the afternoon, hoping to work out a plan to catch the vampire between the three of them. However, no one had any brilliant ideas and after what Katherine had done when they separated last time, they didn't think that would be such a great idea.

It was finally decided that Damon and Stefan would go out together, while Vella stuck around the house. She didn't like that idea but she wasn't going to argue, she knew she would only lose.

Vella watched as Damon and Stefan left through the trees, their silhouettes disappearing into the darkness. She walked around the perimeter of the house slowly, listening out for anything unusual. All she heard were the usual things, rodents, birds, insects and the wind gently blowing through the trees. She walked around for hours, until the two brothers came home with nothing to report.

Vella was clearly frustrated on top of being hungry, which was making her more irritable. She begged Damon to let her go hunting, but he wouldn't allow it. He told her she had to wait until dawn, which made her so angry she threw a temper tantrum. She went into the library where she began flinging books off the shelves, until Damon wrestled her away, holding her tightly.

"What's wrong with you tonight?"

"What do you mean what's wrong with me? Im starving!" she said, resisting the urge to say, "Duh!"

Damon looked at her shrewdly. "There's more to it than that."

Vella sighed and rolled her eyes at him. "I'm starving and it's making me crazy."

Damon thought she was hiding something, but he couldn't be sure. He decided he had better take her out hunting before she destroyed the house.  
The two lovers went way out of town to hunt, making sure they were far away from the Founder's council, who was sure to be stalking the vampire in town as well. When they got home, Stefan was asleep on the couch. They left him there and went up to bed just as the sun was coming up. 

Damon and Vella woke up some time in the late afternoon the next day, to the sound of arguing coming from the livingroom. They ran downstairs to find Elena in tears and Stefan clearly frustrated.

"What's going on?" Damon asked curiously.

Vella walked up to Elena and put her arm around her in support.  
"What's wrong Elena?"

Elena choked back a few tears before speaking. "They found another body today, it was someone I went to school with."

Vella pulled Elena into a gentle hug, letting Elena's tears splash down on her shoulder.

Damon glared at his brother. "That explains Elena's tears but not the argument."

Stefan looked at his brother with a furrowed brow. "The high school seniors are having a huge outdoor party to celebrate their graduation tonight."

Damon looked at Elena with concern. "If Stefan said you can't go then I'm with him."

Elena glared at Damon as evilly as she could muster and crossed her arms in annoyance.

"I think she should go," Vella said, earning her shocked looks from both Stefan and Damon.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, Stefan, completely serious," Vella said annoyed. "If we patrol around the party then maybe we will catch this vampire."

"But what about the innocent people who could get hurt?"

Vella snorted. "Are you going to make them cancel the party?"

Stefan looked at her, trying to figure out where she was going with the questions.

"Well, no. What would I tell them, a vampire is on the loose?"

"That's exactly my point Stefan. The party is going to happen whether we are there or not. But if we keep a look out, maybe we can stop these deaths."  
Stefan looked at Elena with pleading eyes, but she returned his look with defiance. He decided relenting would probably be the best way, but he didn't have to like it.

"Fine, I will let you go, but I'm not letting you out of my sight."

Elena smiled and gave Stefan a kiss. "Sounds good to me."

Vella smiled as Elena and Stefan left the house, making Damon suspicious.

"What are you so happy about?"

"Oh nothing," Vella said, trying to sound innocent.

Damon walked over to Vella slowly, then quickly grabbed her before she could get away. He put his lips up to her ear, speaking softly.

"You think you've won, don't you?"

Vella didn't answer, instead she caught him off guard by escaping his grip. She laughed as she ran into the kitchen

Damon followed Vella into the kitchen and sat at the table, watching her make coffee.

"I didn't win anything Damon. I just want this vampire caught so we can have our wedding in peace."

Damon got up from the table and walked up behind Vella as she poured the coffee into cups, wrapping his arms around her waist he whispered in her ear.

"I won't let anyone or anything ruin our day, I promise you that."

Vella hoped beyond hope that he was right. She couldn't imagine what Damon would do if someone ruined the wedding. 

Damon and Vella left for the party just as the sun was going down. It was being held out in the forest on the east side of town. When they arrived at the party, they found Stefan and Elena waiting for them.

"Do you think we can pass for teens?" Vella asked jokingly, Elena and Stefan laughed but Damon gave her a serious look.

"This is no joke Vella."  
Vella rolled her eyes, "Geez, lighten up Damon. Whatever happened to Stefan being the worrywart?" Elena giggled, while the two brothers look exasperated.

"Fine, I will behave."

Stefan joined Elena in the crowds of people who were partying, though they stuck more to the outsides of the crowd so Stefan could keep an eye on things. Meanwhile, Damon and Vella patrolled around the party, walking in a clock wise direction.

The first hour of the party was quiet, in the way of strange activity but the second hour became much stranger. Vella was leaning against a tree listening, when she saw a couple walking deeper into the forest. She slowly followed them just close enough to make sure they would be fine. But suddenly she heard the female scream.

Vella ran towards the couple, expecting to find an aggressive guy, but instead, she came face to face with a hungry vampire trying to rip the throat out of the female, the guy was laying on the ground already with a gaping neck wound.

The male vampire dropped the girl at the sight of Vella and tried to run off in the opposite direction, but Vella caught him easily.

"Who are you?"

The vampire didn't answer, instead he tried to get away. Vella had no other choice then to grab a sharp branch and stab it through the vampire's chest, into his heart, he fell limp and Vella dropped him onto the ground.

Vella walked back to find the young woman standing over her boyfriend, who was now awake and uttering incomprehensively. She took the girl and compelled her and then her boyfriend. She wasn't sure the animal attack excuse would fly, but it was the only thing she could think of.

Vella found her phone and dialed Damon's cell number, he didn't immediately answer, which worried her. She then called Stefan hoping he would answer.

"Hello?'  
"Stefan, we have a problem."

"What is it?"  
"Can you not sense it? Vampires. I just killed one who attacked a couple, but I feel there are more. Keep an eye on Elena, please. And if you see Damon, tell him to call me."

Vella flipped her phone closed and put it back in her jeans pocket. She turned around just in time to see another male vampire running at her full speed. She moved out of the way and stuck her leg out. He tripped over her outstretched leg and went flying about twenty feet away, falling down face first. Vella quickly picked up a thick sharp branch from a tree and ran at the vampire, however he tripped her this time and she fell on the stake, which pierced her in her left shoulder.  
Fighting through the pain, Vella managed to grab a hold of the vampire, pull out the stake from her shoulder and stab it through the vampire, but she missed his heart. As he pulled out the stake, Vella grabbed a hold of his hands and forced it back through his chest, this time piercing his heart. He fell limply to the ground, dead.

Vella took a few deep breaths, mostly out of habit, closing her eyes so she could listen. She could hear some distant music and people laughing and talking but no screaming. She reached in her pocket for her cell phone, only to discovered it had been damaged and it wouldn't work.

"Dammit!"

Vella picked up the vampire, dragging it to where the other one's body was, picking it up too. She dragged them deeper and deeper into the woods, leaving marks on the trees so she could find her way back later. Just as she dropped her guard, a dark figure came running so quickly by her, she barely had time to avoid it. She turned around to see a tall female vampire standing about thirty feet away, glaring evilly.

"What do you want!" Vella yelled, practically snarling.

"To kill you!"

"And what have I done to you? I don't even know you."

"You're right you don't, but you know my maker."

"I do?"  
"Yes, and I was turned into this," she pointed to her fangs, "Because of you."  
"Because of me?"

The female vampire was too angry to speak anymore. She took off quickly with Vella right on her heels. Suddenly they were in a clearing in the trees, the almost full moon could be seen through the open sky, illuminating the grass, casting ghostly shadows of the trees. The female vampire stopped quickly and Vella almost ran past her, but she turned quickly and grabbed a hold of her arm. The female vampire tried to kick her, but Vella dodged enough that it missed her and in one fluid moment she ripped a limb off a nearby tree and stabbed the vampire through her heart. She watched as her body fell limp to the ground, making a gentle thud sound.

Vella stood over the body of the girl feeling pity for her, she looked like she couldn't have been more than eighteen or nineteen years old. Who could be doing this? Who could be evil enough to turn innocent people into vampires just to spite her. It wasn't long before the answer was staring her right in the face.

Vella turned around to the sound of something approaching. As the dark figure walked out from the shadow of the trees, about fourty feet away, into the pale light from the moon, she let out a gasp.

"Tommy?"

**A/N: Okay, I wasn't going to post this right away, but the next chapter came to me quickly enough. I'm getting better at leaving cliffhangers, at least I think so lol.**

**Can't guarantee when the next chapter will be posted but at least a day or 2.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34 ~ Tommy Richardson 

Vella stood staring at her ex-fiance in complete shock, she couldn't believe that he was standing right here with her. She tried thinking of something to say, but the words wouldn't come. She felt like she was in a dream that seemed only too real and she wanted to wake up from it, now.

Tommy stood staring at Vella with a strange look of longing and curiosity. He had been planning this for months and now that it was happening he wasn't sure what he wanted to do first.

Vella stood still as if she was frozen while Tommy walked closer to her. He stopped when he was about fifteen feet away from her, hoping not to scare her off.

Vella finally got up the nerve to speak.

"Tommy, I thought you were dead," she shook slightly as she spoke.

Tommy let out a strange sick sounding laugh, "Oh, but I am dead Vella, just as you are."

Vella began to quiver slightly. While he looked like the man she used to know, he didn't sound like it. But she wanted to know more, she couldn't think about anything else at the moment.

"What are you doing here? Why now? Why didn't you let me know you were still...alive?"

Tommy looked at her, reading her expression. He wanted to know if she really cared or if it was just guilt. He couldn't bear if it was just guilt. He had waited so long to come back to her.

"Will you listen while I explain?" Tommy asked as he took a step forward.

Vella stepped backwards away from him. slightly frightened. "Stay right there and I will listen."

Tommy nodded his head in agreement, looking at her longingly.

"I did die Vella, that part isn't a lie. I'm not surprised you don't remember what happened, you were in and out of consciousness."

Vella thought back to the accident that almost claimed her life like it was yesterday. She didn't remember anything that could explain how Tommy was standing here in front of her now.

"Do you remember how the accident happened?"

Vella was now shaking more violently, tears beginning to fall down her face.  
"I remember something jumped in our way, then I remember waking up to pain and seeing you, you looked dead."

Tommy wanted to get closer, to hold her and comfort her, but he could tell she would run if he did.

"If I mention the name, 'Gabriel', would you understand?"

Vella was floored by the mention of Gabriel's name, realization suddenly coming to her.

"OH MY GOD!" Vella screamed, the tears now flowing readily.

"He wanted you. He wanted something from you. I told him he couldn't have you." Vella gasped. "He decided to have some fun with me, but I was already dying. It took me awhile to figure it out, but he wanted me to get to you, he needed you. He gave me his blood, made me drink it, so I could be like him when I died."

Vella's sobbing became louder, distracting Tommy. He wanted so badly to comfort her.

"This is all my fault!" Vella shrieked. "It's all my fault. My parents, my sister and now you." She was now crying uncontrollably, the guilt was too much.

Tommy took a couple steps forward, but Vella put up her hand, warning him to stop.

"Keep going, please?" Vella managed to say between sobs.

"I remember waking up, only I was already dead. The sheriff and a deputy were looking in the car, seeing if we were alive. I didn't know what came over me, but I grabbed the deputy and bit his arm, draining it of blood. Suddenly I felt strong and powerful but out of control. I couldn't think of anything else but blood." Tommy paused for a second, before going on. "As I turned around to look at you, the blood that was running from your wounds drove me wild. If it wasn't for the sheriff, I think I would have killed you too."

Vella looked at Tommy, her sobs slowing. She wanted to hold him, tell him she was sorry, but something stopped her. She wasn't sure why, but she just felt that there was more he wasn't telling her.

"But, where have you been? Why didn't you let me know you were alive?"

Tommy looked at her sadly. "I didn't want to hurt you. As long as I was this monster, I knew I could hurt you and I couldn't live with myself if that happened."

"But, but why come back now?"  
Tommy looked at her shrewdly. "I think you know the answer to that."

Vella was surprised by his statement, how would she know the answer when she had no clue he was alive. But then realization hit her and she knew, she knew why he had come back now, the wedding. Suddenly her thoughts turned to Damon and she wondered where he was and why he hadn't found where she was by now.

Tommy could tell by the change in her face she was thinking about her betrothed, which made him angry beyond belief. He did his best to calm himself before he got out of control, but it was getting more and more difficult the more time he spent so close to the woman he loved and longed for.

"But I still don't understand. If you didn't want to hurt me, why come back now?"

Tommy suddenly looked smug. "You know the answer to that too."

Vella shook her head, she really had no clue.

"Because you are the same as me now, a vampire."

Vella was flabbergasted. She couldn't understand how he could have known.

Tommy seemed to enjoy her look of shock, by the look of satisfaction on his face.

"Wait a minute!' Vella exclaimed. "You said 'if it wasn't for the sheriff', are you telling me she knew what happened to you?"

"Yes, she knew everything."  
"And she never told me?"  
"Of course not. You know how this town keeps secrets."  
Vella thought she had been angry before, but now she was beyond angry. How could she do this to me, not once, but twice? She vowed to herself she would make her pay.

Tommy was watching her carefully, waiting for the moment when she would be ready for him, the moment he had longed for for over two years. He didn't think he could wait much longer, his lust and passion had been restrained for far too long.

Vella seemed to have noticed Tommy's change in demeanor and posture and it made her uncomfortable. She began thinking of all that had just happened and then she realized she had more questions.

"What about these vampires tonight? What do they have to do with you?"

Tommy's face contorted into a sneer as he spoke.  
"They were just distractions."  
"What do you mean by distractions?"  
Tommy chuckled evilly. "I mean I changed them to distract your boyfriend and his brother."  
"You did what!" Vella yelled, taking a step back in shock. "How could you?"

Tommy's face was now twisted in an evil glare. He seemed to be enjoying her displeasure which sent a shudder through Vella.

"I did what I had to to get near you. How can that be a bad thing?"

Vella snorted angrily. "What the hell do you mean! There is no excuse for what you've done! Using innocent people like that!"

Tommy was angry now. He didn't like being admonished by anyone, even her. He wasn't about to let her ruin the day he had been dreaming about for so long. He waited until she seemed to be distracted and then ran at her vampire speed, grabbing a hold of her by her wrists.

"Let go of me!"

Tommy smiled at her, taking pleasure in her fear and panic. He pulled her closer to try and kiss her, but she moved her head to the side and tried to kick him. He dodged her kick, but his fingers slipped and she managed to break loose.

Vella was scared and panicked, she knew what Tommy wanted and she had to get away. She tried to run after she broke loose, but he caught up to her easily, knocking her down on the ground.  
Tommy fought with her, managing to get her on her back while he straddled her, holding her arms down. Vella was trying to scream but the sound wouldn't come. His face was covered with a disgusting sneer as he spoke.

"You can fight all you want but it won't make a difference. I'm a lot stronger than you are and this is going to happen."

Vella did her best to struggle but Tommy was right, he was stronger. She closed her eyes as he brought his face close to hers, trying to kiss her lips. She couldn't think of anything but Damon. If only she could keep him in her mind, this would all be okay, she could get through it, she had to believe.

Tommy tried to kiss her lips, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of fighting. He got so frustrated he decided to bite her throat instead.

Vella did her best to fight him off this time, she didn't want him tasting her essence, it was Damon's alone. Damon! That's who I have to keep thinking about, Damon. He will help me through this.

Vella had been concentrating on the image of Damon so hard that she didn't realize when Tommy went from drinking her blood to kissing her neck and began working his way down her chest, nibbling as he went. She fought back as much as she could but it was no use, he was a stronger vampire than she was.

When Tommy thought he had Vella under control, he let go of one of her arms, reaching down to undo her pants, but Vella used the opportunity to smack him across his face, her sharp nails raking across his face leaving deep scratches. He looked at her suddenly angry, his face was now that of the vampire, his dark eyes glaring, his fangs long and sharp.

"I didn't want to have to do this the hard way, but you leave me no other choice," his voice was cold and calculated as he spoke. "I love you."  
Tommy's words made Vella shudder. She felt sick to her stomach, she was positive that if she had been human she would have been able to get sick. Tears were washing down her face in waves now as she cried, "No," over and over again.

Tommy's face was contorted in rage. As he was about to bite her, Vella managed to let out a scream so loud she could hear the forest creatures scurrying away at the sound of it. Angry, he dug his fangs into the side of her neck, draining her of her blood. He drained her until she became weak and light headed and was unable to fight him off any longer. All she could do now was think of Damon, of his beautiful blue eyes, his charming smile, his untidy dark hair and the way he looked at her as if she was the only woman alive when they were alone.

Tommy ripped off her black t-shirt. throwing it aside, revealing a black lace bra. He then ripped off her black jeans, also throwing it aside, revealing matching black lace underwear. He had been dreaming of this moment for so long. He looked her up and down, all the while Vella was mumbling, "Please stop," quietly, with tears running down her dirt stained face. He paused for a moment, wondering how this had happened, how it had gotten so bad so quickly, but he quickly pushed that out of his mind. This is what he had wanted, no matter how he got it. Vella was his before and she would be his again, no matter what.

While Tommy was distracted by his thoughts, he didn't notice the figure who ran into the clearing and punched him, sending him flying about thirty feet away where he landed on his back.

Damon was now squatting beside Vella with angry tears in his eyes. He heard Vella say, "Damon," so weakly, it made him even more angry. He turned to go after Tommy who was now standing up glaring at Damon evilly, but Vella whispered, "Please stay," which made him hesitate.

Tommy wasn't about to let Damon ruin his plan. He ran at him full speed, but Damon dodged out of the way in time and he ran well past him. He turned around to go after Damon again, but was surprised to see Damon running at him. He moved out of the way, grabbing a branch off the ground and attempted to stab Damon with it. He missed his mark and Damon punched him square in the face. He reeled back, ducking a second punch and turned around and began running towards Vella.

Damon wasn't giving up, he was far past any anger he had ever felt, far beyond. He ran after Tommy, who had hesitated by Vella but was now running out of the clearing with Damon in pursuit. Damon chased after him for a long while, but he wasn't able to catch him. Tommy was too fast after all of Vella's blood he had drank and Damon hadn't even eaten yet this night. He gave up looking for him after a short time and turned around to head back to the clearing.

Damon walked back into the clearing, his mind still reeling. Stefan was in the clearing now, he had wrapped Vella in a blanket and was carrying her, Elena walking beside him.

"Give her to me!" Damon yelled, much louder than he had intended.

Stefan looked at his brother thoughtfully. "Damon. You need to take care of the witnesses, I can't compel them and you know it."  
Damon seemed to snap out of his thoughts and back into reality.

"You're right. Take her home and I will meet you back there," Damon said and ran off.

Stefan carried Vella's limp body back to his car, placing her gently in the back seat while he hopped into the driver's seat and Elena into the passenger's seat. He drove as quickly as he could back to the boarding house.

When they arrived, Stefan carried Vella up to her room, laid her in her bed and wrapped her in the blankets on the bed.

"Will you stay here with her Elena?"

"Of course, but where are you going?"

"I'm going to get her some blood, she needs it badly."  
"Will it be safe here alone?" Elena asked, her voice cracking slightly.

Stefan put his hand on the side of her face gently, smiling at her.

"Do you think I would leave you alone if I didn't think it was safe?"

Elena smiled at him, which was all the answer he needed. He kissed her gently on the lips and left. 

Stefan made it back to the house not more than half an hour later with a dufflebag full of donated blood from a blood bank. He took four bags and put them in the kitchen sink where he poured warm water over them to warm them up and put the rest in the fridge in the basement. Afterwards he went up to Vella's room to check on her.

Elena was sitting on a chair she had brought into the room, right next to the bed. Stefan looked at her curiously.

"Where's Damon?"  
"He hasn't come back yet."  
This news worried Stefan. He couldn't imagine what was keeping him. Wasn't he worried about Vella? He was deep in worry when Vella's mumbling roused him from his thoughts. Without thinking, he ran to the other side of the bed, sat beside her and began stroking her hair, she calmed down almost immediately.

Stefan hadn't realized what he had done, he just felt he needed to do it to calm her and reacted without thinking. Elena was giving him a curious look, not sure what to make of it. He shrugged his shoulders, but didn't say a word. He had an idea why, but he didn't want to explain it right now, luckily he was saved by the slamming of the front door.

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to post this chapter, been kind of busy. Hopefully will have the next chapter posted in 2 days max.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35 ~ Panic and Anger 

Damon ran upstairs into his bedroom where Stefan and Elena were sitting with Vella, she was still unconcious. He thanked them and asked them to leave to give him privacy. Both of them complied and went downstairs.

Damon sat on the bed beside Vella and began stroking her hair, tears slowly developing in his eyes. He couldn't stop playing that awful scene in his head, Tommy straddling Vella while she was half conscious and half naked. He was so angry and scared at that exact moment, he didn't want to keep thinking about it.

A few minutes later, Stefan came to the bedroom door carrying four bags of donated blood.

"I went out and got these earlier Damon, I thought she would need them."

Damon looked at his brother strangely, as if he wasn't really there.

"Damon? Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry Stefan, it's been a long night."  
Stefan nodded. "I understand."

Damon took the bags of blood and laid them on the night stand, while Stefan left the room. He gently lifted Vella up and propped her up in the bed, poked a hole in one of the bags and began letting the blood slowly trickle down her throat. Vella seemed to rouse a little after the first bag was finished, so he fed her another. But when Damon finished, he was disgusted by the bites she had all over her neck and chest, so he bit his wrist and fed her some of his own blood, hoping the wounds would heal quicker that way.

Damon climbed in the bed and held Vella until she woke up a few minutes later, disoriented.

"It's okay Vella, it's me," Damon said to her soothingly, feeling her immediately relax in his arms.

Vella let Damon hold her, not uttering a word. She was so glad to be back in his arms, the memories of earlier were still fresh in her mind. Damon felt her shudder so he tightened his embrace. They laid there together for almost an hour without speaking.

When Vella was feeling strong enough physically, she decided to deal with the emotional pain.

"I'm sorry Damon."  
Damon looked at her curiously. "What have you got to be sorry about?"

Tears began to form in Vella's eyes, but she tried choking them back.

"This whole situation is my fault."

Damon lifted his hand and gently laid it on her mouth, barely touching her lips.

"I knew you were going to blame yourself as you always do," he said seriously. "But this isn't your fault."

Vella gave Damon a weak smile, grateful for his support. She did her best to explain to him what she had learned from Tommy, doing her best to keep from crying, even though she was shaking furiously. Damon held her as tightly as he could, her sadness and fear upset him terribly.

Damon didn't say much while she told him the whole story, he didn't want to say something that might upset her further. However, the more he learned, the more upset he became. She stopped at the part where Tommy was on top of her, crying uncontrollably she couldn't go on.

"It's okay Vella, you're safe now. He won't hurt you again, I swear," Damon whispered gently.

The image of that vampire straddling Vella while she was half naked popped back into his head again. It infuriated Damon to no end. He vowed to himself that he would make him pay and it would be painful. He couldn't imagine anything in this world more heinous than what he had done.

Vella noticed Damon's change in demeanor as she looked into his eyes. More than anything in this world, she hated to see him in any kind of pain. She leaned closer and kissed him gently on his lips, his anger seeming to melt away.

Damon kissed her back gently, forgetting his anger and pain. He began making his way down to her throat, when Vella shuddered and pushed Damon away from her violently.

"Please don't," she said shaking.

Damon looked at her apologetically. "I'm so sorry, love."  
Vella gave him a weak smile. "It's okay, you didn't do anything wrong. It's just fresh in my mind."

Damon nodded knowingly, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. They laid like this for some time, neither talking or even moving, but not asleep.

Thoughts were whirling through Vella's head like a hurricane and she couldn't focus on just one. Between her fear about Tommy and her anger towards the Founder's council, and especially Sheriff Forbes, she couldn't think straight. She really wanted to stay in Damon's arms forever, but she wasn't about to give any of them the satisfaction of giving up. She vowed to get rid of Tommy, punish the sheriff and have a peaceful wedding ceremony, even if it killed her.

"Damon?"

"Hmm?"

"How come you aren't out looking for Tommy?"

Damon tensed at the mention of his name.

"I wanted to be here with you, I knew you would need me."

Vella smiled at him gratefully. She was going to say that she would have been fine with Stefan, but she thought better of it.

"We need to find him and...kill him," she said stammering.

Damon squeezed her tightly for a moment, his face etched with pain.

"I don't want you to worry about that. I will be taking care of him tomorrow."

That was all Vella wanted to hear, now she could sleep. She cuddled up with Damon, letting her exhaustion take over she fell asleep quickly. 

When Vella opened her eyes in the morning, she nearly jumped, remembering what had happened the night before. She noticed Damon wasn't in the room, but he seemed to have heard her wake because she could hear him running up the stairs towards the bedroom.

Damon walked in with a cup of coffee and handed it to Vella, who gave him a grateful smile and took a sip.

"Good morning, Damon."

Damon kissed her on the forehead and sat down beside her.

"How are you feeling this morning?"

"Fine actually."

Vella wasn't lying, she actually felt much better after a good night's sleep. She was still troubled, but she decided she wasn't about to let anyone keep her hostage in her own mind.

"Are you hungry?"

Vella thought about that question for a minute, she was hungry but she didn't feel like she could hunt.

"As long as you still have blood in the fridge I'm fine."

Damon looked at her strangely, but then his expression changed to one more serious.

"I'm going out with Stefan this morning. We're going to go search for signs of where Tommy might be." Vella nodded. "Elena is going to stay here with you. Stefan doesn't want her to be alone."

Vella looked at Damon suspiciously. She suspected it was Damon who wanted her to stay to keep her company while he was out. She was about to tell him she didn't need company, but she changed her mind, it was a sweet thing for him to do. She kissed Damon goodbye and listened for him and Stefan to leave before going downstairs.

Vella smiled at Elena. "Good morning."

"Good morning Vella."

Vella put her coffee cup away in the kitchen, gathered up her car keys and purse and was walking towards the front door when Elena stopped her.

"Where are you going?"

"I have some business to take care of. Please stay here."

Elena looked at her seriously.

"Do you think going out is a good idea?"

Vella looked at Elena angrily.

"Just stay here and don't leave! I will be back shortly."

Elena was stunned by her tone of voice, so she didn't say another word. She watched as Vella left the house, wondering if she should call Stefan or Damon. 

Vella hadn't worked out her plan in her head yet, but she knew what the goal was, find Sheriff Forbes. She needed to know everything she knew and she needed to know now. Damon and Stefan may have overlooked the fact that she might now know their secret, but she hadn't forgotten.

Vella drove through the quiet morning streets of Mystic Falls until she came to the street she was looking for. She turned down it and drove about half way down the street and parked her car on the side of the road. She could see Liz's house from here. It was a simple red brick two storey house.

Vella wanted to walk up to the door and call her out, but she knew that wouldn't work. So she decided to do the next best thing, lure her out. She had never tried to influence an animal before, but now was as good of a time as any to try. She closed her eyes, probing with her mind until she felt the mind of a cat that was lying in the bushes by the Sheriff's house. It took some trying, but she managed to get the cat to jump up to the open window of the kitchen and start meowing.

It was a weird sensation, but it was almost like Vella could see everything from the perspective of the cat. She heard the sheriff shooing the cat away, so she got the cat to sit on her front step and meow, but not too loudly, she didn't want the entire neighbourhood poking their noses out their windows. The cat meowed only a few times when Vella could hear the sheriff coming to the door. She got the cat to walk a few feet farther from the door, she needed Liz to actually walk out of her house.

Liz walked out of her house to see what her neighbour's cat was meowing about. She stepped out onto the front steps and walked down the two steps to stand on the stone path that led to the sidewalk. The cat was sitting there staring at the sheriff.

Now was Vella's chance. She got out of her car, running vampire speed she managed to get up on the top step as the sheriff turned around to face her.

Liz looked at Vella with a shocked expression, her mouth gaping open in complete surprise.

"What..." she tried asking a question but Vella cut her off.

"Get in my car," Vella said glaring at her coldly.

"You must be insane!"

Vella gave Liz the most evil look she could give, without her vampire face.

"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. Get in my car or else."

Liz snorted, "You know your mind control won't work on me."  
Vella laughed mirthlessly.

"Don't you think I know that?" Liz shot her a confused look. "Just do what I tell you or I may have to do something I will regret."

"And what would that be? You going to kill me right here?"

Vella laughed derisively. "I like your daughter, but if I have to I will go find her. I'm sure she's at Matt's house," she paused for effect. "I've been invited there before."  
The expression on Liz's face disappeared, replaced by a fearful one.

"You wouldn't?"

"For this, yes I would. I'm sick of playing little miss nice vampire."

Liz was going to refuse, but she couldn't, not when her daughter's life was threatened. She walked to Vella's car and got into the passenger side, while Vella got into the driver's side. She drove away towards the boarding house, taking the quietest roads.

"What do you want with me?" Liz asked with fear and trepidation in her voice.

Vella glanced at her quickly. "We will talk about that when we get back to the boarding house."

Liz was getting more and more terrified the closer they got to the boarding house, but she didn't say another word.

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, been so busy. I have also had a bit of writer's block. Hopefully next chapter will be up in a day or two.**  
**Thanks for reading!**


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36 ~ Too Many Regrets 

When they arrived at the boarding house, Vella grabbed a hold of Liz and dragged her out of the car and into the house. Elena was standing there as she walked in.

"Vella! What is Sheriff Forbes doing here?" she asked in complete surprise.

Vella glared at Elena angrily.  
"Go home Elena."

"No!"

Vella was beyond reasonable thinking right now. She had something she needed to do and she couldn't think about anything else. As she stood there staring at Elena, trying to gain her composure, Liz tried to struggle and get away, but Vella was too quick and slapped her across the face, sending her flying backwards hitting the wall.

"Don't try something like that again!" Vella warned her, almost snarling.

Liz was slumped against the wall, wiping at her nose which was bleeding heavily. As Vella looked at her angrily, her face began to change and her fangs grew. She was having a difficult time controlling herself. Between her fear from the previous night's events, her anger towards Liz and the insatiable hunger she was feeling at this moment, the blood was almost too much to handle.

Elena called her name, which snapped her out of her frenzy. She was grateful, since feeding on Liz was the last thing she needed to do. Vella knew she regularly ingested vervain as did all the Founder's council members.

Vella's face changed back to normal as she stooped down and grabbed a hold of the sheriff's arm, pulling her down the hallway.

"Where are you taking me?"

Vella didn't reply. Instead she squeezed her arm tighter in response, hoping to shut her up and continued dragging her down the hallway, until she reached the door to the basement. She pulled the door open and dragged Liz down the steep stone stairs, into the dark and dank basement. She could see through the darkness that Liz was terrified, even though she tried to hide it.

Vella dragged her to the iron bar door that had once been her own prison, pushed her past it and locked the door.

Liz looked at Vella defiantly.

"What do you want with me?"

Vella wore a sneer across her face as she spoke. "We have some talking to do."  
"I can't imagine what I need to discuss with you."  
Vella closed her eyes to try and calm herself. Right now she felt mentally drained. She had not been feeling much of anything since she had woke up, she hadn't allowed herself to. But right now she needed to feel, she needed to be able to convey her feelings to the sheriff about Tommy and the part she had played in everything.

"You're right, you can't even imagine what I have to say to you. And the knowledge you are lacking could fill volumes."

Liz looked at Vella with a mixture of fear and confusion.

"I hope you're not going to try and convince me to let your secret go."

Vella laughed derisively. "I wouldn't even attempt to try. Instead you will be forgetting it."

"I'm not sure how you're going to do that. Not only do I have vervain on me, I ingest it."

Vella laughed derisively again, sending shudders through the sheriff.

"You seem to forget who you're talking to, Liz," she said putting emphasis on her name. "My mother taught me well." Vella felt a twinge of pain mentioning her mother's name in front of her.

"So why are you keeping me locked up here?"

"Actually, that's for your protection from me."

Vella sensed Liz shudder slightly, but she was still defiant as she spoke.

"You might as well kill me. I'm not going to help you."

Vella's eyes narrowed while she looked at Liz, speaking in an ominous voice.

"That's where you're wrong."

Liz knew it wasn't a threat, it was a promise. She knew Vella would get her help whether she wanted to give it or not.

Vella paced back and forth for a minute trying to think of where to start. She hadn't really thought her plan out and now she couldn't think straight. She wondered how Damon and Stefan always seemed to make these kinds of situations look so easy. She knew deep down she didn't want to hurt the sheriff, even though she had every reason in the world, but being a cold blooded killer just wasn't in her and she didn't want to start now. It would be too easy to go down that road and she was afraid of never coming back.

Vella began by telling the sheriff the story on how she was turned, leaving out the part about Damon and the tomb. She put an emphasis on the fact that if it hadn't been for her and the council, then she wouldn't be what she was.

Liz was shocked and saddened by her story, but not enough to help her. Her hatred for vampires was deeply rooted in fear and misunderstanding.

"Is this why you brought me here, to explain yourself?"

Vella snorted. "Yeah right. Do you think I would even try to reason with you?"

"Well I'm confused then."

Vella sneered at her again as she spoke. "I'm not surprised."

Liz looked at her strangely. She was tired of the games, she wanted to know what she wanted and now. However, she didn't think it would be very prudent to push her since she could kill her quickly.

"Two words sheriff...Tommy Richardson."

The sheriff's eyes opened widely in surprise. She hadn't heard that name in a couple of years and had hoped to never hear it again. She was suddenly afraid of what Vella might have to tell her and was pretty sure she knew the reason she was so angry.

"Have you not noticed how much the vampire activity has picked up around here lately, sheriff?"

"Of course, but..."

Vella talked over her. "Well that was his doing. You knew he was alive and did nothing."

"And this is why you're mad?"

"Mad! Not mad sheriff, furious!" Vella was pacing back more furiously now. She looked like a hungry predator eager to get out and hunt. "I hope you can sleep well at night knowing this is all your fault."

"We will take care of him."

Vella ran up to the bars in the gate, gripping them tightly and cackled. "It's not him you have to worry about as much as the dozens of people he has changed to vampires."

"What!"

"You heard me right, Liz. Dozens," she let go of the bars and began pacing again, though more slowly. "In fact, they attacked some kids at the graduation party last night. They might have died if I hadn't been there to help them."

Liz was horror stricken. She couldn't believe that a nice young man like Tommy could do something so evil, vampire or not.

"This can't be right"

"Oh, but it is. He paid me a personal visit last night and what he tried to do to me..." but Vella couldn't finish the sentence.

LIz was suddenly overcome with a sick feeling deep down inside. She was having a hard time catching her breath and she felt like she could vomit at any moment. She couldn't imagine feeling more regret in her life than she did right now.

"How can I help you?" Liz asked in deference.

Vella stopped her pacing and looked at the sheriff. It was a deep piercing look and if Liz hadn't known better, she would have thought Vella could see into her soul.

"What if I asked you to keep my secret?"

Liz looked at her regretfully. "I can't do that."

"Then we are done talking," she replied as she turned around and walked up the basement stairs, leaving the sheriff staring at her back in shock and dismay.

When Vella walked into the livingroom, she found Elena pacing back and forth holding on to her cell phone. She was too distracted to notice that there was a second person in the room, sitting in the dark corner just beyond Elena's pacing.

When Elena turned and saw Vella, she was startled, actually jumping back slightly, exclaiming, "Vella!"

The figure that had been sitting down stood up to face her.

"What are you doing here, Alaric?"

Alaric walked towards Vella, he had a stake in one hand and a vervain dart in another.

Vella looked at him angrily, but surprised. "I wouldn't try anything funny Alaric, not if you value your life!"

"I don't want to do anything to you, if I don't have to," he replied, regret lacing each of his words.

Elena stood as still as she possibly could, suddenly regretting what she had done, calling Alaric. She hadn't been able to get a hold of either Stefan or Damon so she called the next best person to protect her, Alaric.

"Vella, this is my fault, I called him." Vella turned to look at her. "I was scared, you were acting crazy and I couln't get a hold of Stefan or Damon."

So you called a vampire hunter? Is what she wanted to ask her, but she was distracted by something else she had said.

"What do you mean you can't get a hold of them?" There was an edge of panic in her voice.

Elena could see she was just as concerned as she was, she hoped it meant that Vella was more reasonable now. But she wasn't more reasonable, she was panicked, panicked just as she had been the night before.

Vella felt a tightness in her chest and her stomach seemed to be doing flip-flops. She couldn't think, like everything was in a haze. Deep down inside she knew that Tommy was no match for both brothers, but that didn't help her relax or think more reasonably.

She was trying to calm herself down, when Vella noticed Alaric was walking towards the hallway. She ran at him, hissing a warning.

"You aren't going down there."

She had startled Alaric, who had almost stuck her with the vervain dart. He looked at her exasperated.

"You can't leave her trapped down there."

Vella closed her eyes for a second, fighting back the wave of red that was trying to overcome her, the anger. It wanted to consume her body and soul, but she couldn't allow that to happen. She tried to turn her thoughts to Damon, that always helped, but it wasn't enough. She flung her arm out, her hand balled into a fist. It came into contact with the wall, leaving a crater in the drywall.

Alaric had stepped away a few steps in fear, almost dropping the stake in his hand, which he was now gripping firmly and pointing towards Vella.

Vella looked at him for a moment as if she was dazed, then something flashed in her eyes and she seemed to be fine again.

"Alaric," she said calmly. "Liz knows about me, Damon and Stefan. She won't help us or keep our secret, so she needs to stay there until tomorrow."

Alaric looked at her with a mix of curiosity and confusion. "How is it going to help leaving her there until tomorrow?"

Vella rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Until the vervain she's ingested is fully out of her system, I won't be able to compel her properly."

"Oh!"

Vella looked at Alaric, giving him a slight smile, which she noticed made him relax. She felt herself calming down as well, but not enough to relax. She was still terribly worried about Damon, and Stefan to a lesser degree. She headed into the livingroom and slumped into one of the plush armchairs, closing her eyes.

Elena looked at Vella concerned. She could see the worry and pain etched on her face. She flipped open her cell phone to try Stefan's phone again, but nearly dropped her phone in surprise as she heard the front door open.

"Stefan!" Elena yelled and ran at him, wrapping her arms around him.

Damon had entered the house behind Stefan. He was about to ask where Vella was, when Elena told him without any prodding. He walked into the livingroom where she was still slumped in the chair with her eyes closed.

"Vella?" he whispered, wondering if she was awake.

Vella opened her eyes slowly to find Damon standing in front of her. She looked into his eye's as if she hadn't seen him in years. He leaned down and scooped her up into his arms, holding her tightly and burying his face against her.

They stayed like that for several minutes, until someone in the room cleared their throat, then they sat down, Vella on the armchair and Damon on the arm of the chair with his arm around her.

"What did you find out?" Alaric asked Stefan.

"We didn't find any clues to his whereabouts. Guess we will have to wait until the sun has gone down."

Vella looked alarmed as she glanced at Damon's face. He was trying his best to stay supportive and strong for her but he was secretly worried.

"Whatever you decide, I'm coming with you tonight," Alaric stated adamantly.

Both Stefan and Damon looked at each other, but neither objected, they knew Alaric well enough to know he would help whether they allowed him or not.

"Well we need to make a plan for tonight," Stefan said.

Vella looked at him, pausing a second before speaking.

"I have something to tell you about...before someone else tells you."

Damon and Stefan looked at her curiously while she explained her outing. She wasn't sure which one of them was more stunned about the whole thing, but she knew Damon was upset, even if he didn't say or even show it, she could feel it.

Vella's argument seemed to make sense to both brothers, so they decided they would leave her down in the basement until they were able to compel her, or at least, found the time to deal with her before she could tell the Founder's council their secret.

Damon, Stefan, Vella and Alaric made plans for later that night, while Elena made herself something to eat, she didn't want to know what was going to happen, it would just make her worry more. She made some extra food and took it down to the sheriff along with some bottles of water. By the time she had came back upstairs, they had finished talking and Alaric had left. Elena caught Stefan's eye, who looked concerned.

"I guess you want me to stay here tonight, don't you?"

Stefan nodded his head, then pulled Elena into a tender embrace, while Damon and Vella quietly left the room and headed up to their bedroom for some rest before it got dark.

**A/N: I have been having writer's block so it may be a few more days before I post a new chapter, but will do so as soon as I can.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37 ~ Predator vs Predators 

When the sun began to set that day, Stefan, Damon and Vella all left the boarding house and headed into the forest. They planned to draw Tommy out by using Vella as bait. Damon wasn't happy with that prospect, but she wasn't a delicate flower and she had proven many times that she could protect herself, so he didn't disagree.

The three of them met up with Alaric at the Mystic Grill and had a drink together before leaving again, they were trying to be caught in public so Tommy could find them. Afterwards, they separated, Stefan leaving with Alaric and Vella leaving with Damon.

Damon and Vella headed towards the graveyard, they knew it would be the best place to draw him out since no one would be around. They walked closer and then staged an argument, Damon yelling at Vella and then vice versa.  
With tears running down her face, she ran into the graveyard and headed towards Tommy's grave. She had a strong feeling that he would look for her here, she just hoped she was right, she wasn't sure how long she could keep the fake tears up.

Vella sat on the soft grass trying to look upset while still listening carefully to the sounds around her. She could hear all the night creatures scurrying around in the grass, their tiny feet making almost no sound on the soft earth. She heard an owl swoop out of the trees and then a cry of pain from some small creature, probably a mouse, but not any sounds she was hoping for.

Almost half an hour went by and still no luck. As Vella began to feel the disappointment, her thoughts went back to the night before. She had been feeling so many different emotions, she couldn't even name them all. Vella did her best to stop thinking about the night before, instead her thoughts began to wander back to a time when her and Tommy first met each other. 

_It had only been two months since she had been at university and if it hadn't been for Mara, she didn't think she would have gotten this far. She was walking down the hall heading towards her Biology class, when one of her books came sliding out from the pile she was carrying and fell down in front of her, making her trip. She braced herself against the fall, but instead, a pair of hands caught her before she hit the floor. With a surprised look on her face, she looked up into the greenest eyes she had ever seen. Tommy introduced himself, while Vella just apologized for being so clumsy. He escorted her to her class, even though he was late for his own. He was standing outside her class when she came out two hours later. He escorted her to her dorm and after she changed, the two went out for a coffee, talking for hours._

When Vella realized she had been lost in thought, she jerked her head up, looking around quickly but she didn't see anything. She listened carefully but still nothing. She was beginning to think that Tommy wouldn't show up, when she saw something suspicious, an owl sitting on a gravestone not far away. She wasn't sure why, but she felt that the owl was out of place, and then she realized it was sitting on her mother and father's headstone. Anger began to boil up inside Vella. It wasn't directed at the owl, but at who was using the owl to spy on her.

Vella stood up, glaring at the owl and yelled. "Tommy! I know you're out here, show yourself!"

Vella stood there staring at the owl feeling foolish for yelling at it. It was still sitting there watching her with it's piercing green eyes, green eyes that made her think of Tommy. She walked towards the owl, which flapped it's wings in protest and flew into the nearest tree. As she turned around, she noticed a dark figure standing in the trees, which made her take a step back.

"Tommy?" she said, her voice wavering.

The dark figure emerged from under the trees, his green eyes almost glowing in the moonlight.

"I'm really disappointed in you, Vella."

Vella felt a shiver of fear wash over her as he spoke. She wanted to be brave and tell him off, but it was much easier to think about it when he wasn't there then it was while she was staring right at him.

Tommy walked a couple of steps forward, but Vella didn't flinch.

"Are we feeling brave tonight?"

"I'm not afraid of you Tommy," she replied with as much conviction as she could muster.

"Keep telling yourself that my dear, maybe you will believe it."

Vella gave him a dirty look, trying to mask the fear she was feeling, she wasn't sure how long she could keep it up.

Tommy seemed to sense what she was thinking because he answered her unasked question.

"I don't think the Salvatore brothers will be here to rescue you anytime soon. I've made sure they've been kept busy."

Tommy's face turned from a smile to greedy sneer, while Vella got a wild look in her eye, like a trapped animal.

"What are you talking about?"

Tommy let out an evil laugh that echoed in the darkness of the cemetary.

"Did you think I would be stupid enough to come after you without dealing with your boyfriend and his brother first?"

"What do you mean deal with them!"

Tommy was deriving pleasure by watching her worry. He wanted to hurt her as much as she had by rejecting him, only it wasn't having the effect he had hoped for. Instead of becoming more afraid, she was becoming increasingly angry.

"If you hurt either of them, I will tear you apart with my bare hands!"

"I wouldn't worry about them. You should be worrying about yourself."

Vella laughed mockingly. "I wasn't prepared for you last night, but I am tonight."  
Tommy's eyes narrowed at her. "Don't bet on that."

Vella wasn't sure what made her move out of the way, but she suddenly dove to her right, narrowly avoiding Tommy who had ran directly at her. He turned and ran at her again, but Vella stuck her leg out and tripped Tommy sending him flying into his own gravestone which broke into several pieces from the impact, leaving Tommy stunned for a moment.

Vella took off running into the trees beside the cemetary, weaving in and out and around the trees to keep Tommy from catching up. All she needed to do was find Damon or Stefan and she knew she would be okay.

Vella had been running for only a minute when she tripped, landing on her leg in a funny way. She heard a snap and felt the pain from her ankle radiate up her leg, making her scream in agony. She hoped her leg would heal quickly since she had made sure she had fed quite well today in anticipation of this confrontation with Tommy. She held her leg, feeling the bones beginning to knit together, but before they had a chance to finish healing, Tommy walked through the trees, stopping just out of reach of her good leg.

"Did you really think you would get away from me that easily?"

"It was working for me until I tripped."

A smile flitted across Tommy's face for a second, then disappeared. He was about to lean down and grab Vella, when something came flying out from the trees, narrowly missing him. Before Vella could react, Tommy ran into the trees.

Tommy came out from the trees a minute later dragging something with him. When he turned it around in front of him, Vella realized that it wasn't a what, it was a who.

"Alaric!"

Tommy narrowed his eyes at Vella. "So you know this vermin, do you?"

Vella looked at Alaric concerned. Tommy was holding him by the arm, his body limp.

"He's just unconscious, I promise you."

"I wouldn't trust your promises as far as I could throw you!" she yelled angrily.

Tommy studied her face carefully, hope in his eyes.

"I won't kill him, if you do something for me."

Vella looked at Alaric, her hope fading. She had to do whatever she could to protect him, even if it meant giving into Tommy, the thought made her tremble.

"You have to let him go first, it's the only way."

Tommy lifted his eyebrows in interest. "You mean you aren't going to ask what I want from you?"

Vella gulped, swallowing hard before she spoke. "It doesn't matter, as long as you let him go."

Tommy's eyes were now filled with a greedy look that made Vella's stomach lurch. She was doing her best to think of a plan to save both of them, she couldn't bear if something happened to Alaric because of her. But then, she got an idea.

"I have to make sure he's okay first, bring him to me," she wanted him to think her leg was still injured even though she could tell it was almost completely healed.  
Tommy looked deeply in her eye's, he felt it was a trick but he was too impatient to wait any longer, he wanted her now. He threw Alaric's limp body towards Vella, where he landed face down beside her.

Vella gave Tommy a dirty look and then turned her attention to Alaric. She lifted him up and pulled him towards her, cradling him in her arms like a large child. She could now see the wound on the side of his head where a slight trickle of blood had pooled and was now drying. She fought the urge to taste it, pushing it out of her mind. She wanted to give him some of her blood, but wasn't sure how she could manage without Tommy noticing. She placed her ear near his mouth to check if he was still breathing, which thankfully he was.

"What about our bargain?" Tommy asked her impatiently.

Vella gave him a stern look while still cradling Alaric's head in her arms. "I said I want to make sure he's okay first."

"He's alive isn't he?"

"Barely," she uttered, then turned back to Alaric. She wasn't sure how much time she would have, but she needed to distract him for as long as she could.

Vella suddenly thought of an idea to her problem. She turned her head away from Tommy for a second, then bit down on her tongue as hard as she could, wincing in pain. She turned back to Alaric, lifting his head to face her with one hand and opened his mouth with her other hand. She stuck her profusely bleeding tongue in his mouth, making it look like she was kissing him.

Alaric seemed to stir a little, which relieved Vella. She could feel Tommy's eyes glaring at her, even though she couldn't see them. When Alaric began coughing, on what she imagined was the blood, Tommy grabbed her by her hair and pulled her away from him.

"He's fine now!" Tommy yelled wildly. "Now it's my turn!"

Tommy threw Vella flat down on the ground and pushed Alaric off of her. He leaned down to kiss her, when Vella stabbed him in the back, with a vervain dart she had grabbed from Alaric's pocket. He fell limply on to Vella, who pushed him off of her very roughly.

Vella stood up picking Alaric up in her arms. He was stirring but he was still unconscious. She slung him half over her shoulder and began to run towards the cemetary, hoping to find Damon or Stefan there. When she arrived at the gate, she couldn't see or hear anyone. She gently laid Alaric on the ground and began examining him more closely. The wound on his head appeared to be healing and his breathing was more rythmic, not labored.

Vella slumped down beside Alaric suddenly feeling guilty. She knew she shouldn't have given her blood to Alaric but she wouldn't have been able to live with herself if something had happened to him while he was trying to protect her. She then began to imagine Damon's reaction if he had seen what she had done, she didn't think it would be very pleasant, to say the least.

Vella waited for a few minutes, hoping Alaric would wake so she could find out what had happened to Damon and Stefan. She was afraid Tommy would wake at any time and they would be in danger again. Searching inside Alaric's jacket, she found his cell phone. She dialed Damon's number but there was no answer.

"Dammit!"

Vella shoved the phone back into Alaric's jacket and sat him up, leaning him against her, her arm around him. She could see the wound on his head had almost completely healed now, but she was worried he was still unconscious. She was about to shake him a little when he started to open his eyes slowly.

"Alaric!"

Alaric looked at Vella as if he was confused for a moment, then realization hit him. He almost jumped up, but Vella had held him tightly.

"Calm down, you're okay," she said softly.

"What happened?"

Vella explained with as little detail as possible what had happened, a smile flitting across his face. Vella tried to ignore it, but he was smiling from ear to ear.

"What are you smiling about?" she asked him, very irritated.

"Did you forget about my ring?" Alaric asked her.

Vella narrowed her eyes at him. "Did you want me to wait until you died?"

Alaric seemed to think for a moment, "Well, I suppose not."

Vella let out a laugh which helped her frayed nerves.

Alaric looked at her slyly. "You know, I wasn't conscious for that kiss. Do you think you could show me now that I'm awake?"

Vella laughed. "Only if you really do want to die, cause Damon would probably kill you."

Alaric laughed slightly, "Yeah, you're probably right."

Vella helped Alaric to his feet, feeling like some weight was off of her shoulders. He was okay and so was she, she only needed to find Damon and she would feel much better.

The two of them set out from the cemetary heading west, the opposite direction they had left Tommy at. They hadn't gotten far when Vella could hear something running up behind them quickly. She somehow knew it wasn't Damon. She turned just in time to see Tommy come running at her. She pushed Alaric roughly out of the way, leaned to the side, putting her fist out and came into contact with Tommy's chest. The momentum sent him flying head over heels, landing in some bushes.

"Alaric, get the hell out of here!" Vella yelled.

Alaric opened his mouth to disagree but she interrupted him before he could speak. "Don't argue with me, there's no time for that. Find Damon, now!" He paused for a second, then took off in the opposite direction, leaving Vella alone.

Now that Alaric was safe and she didn't have to worry about him, Vella felt like she could stand up to Tommy. She watched as he got up from the bushes, glaring at her.

"Did you think that was going to stop me for good?" Tommy asked angrily.

Vella returned the glare. "Of course I didn't."

Tommy began slowly walking towards Vella while she shouted warnings for him to stay back, all the while standing her ground. As soon as he got close enough, he tried to dash at her, but she moved out of the way. He did the same thing a couple more times before he got frustrated.

"Do you know why your boyfriend isn't here with you?"

She wasn't sure she wanted to know what he was going to say, she knew deep down inside he was frustrated and would do anything he could to distract her, even taunting her.

"Shut up, Tommy! I don't have anything to say to you!"

"He's with her, you know," he said with a sneer. "His brother's girlfriend."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Tommy let out an evil laugh. "He would rather save his brother's girlfriend Elena than you."

Vella didn't want to hear anymore, she knew it was a lie so she didn't say anything, she just glared at him.

"I knew if I sent my minions after her it would keep him busy." He let out another round of laughter. "You know deep down it's true."

"You lie!"

"Oh do I? I can tell by the look in your eyes, you know he still loves her."

"Shut up!"

Tommy was enjoying her distress.

"You know if it wasn't for his brother he would have been with her, even now."

Vella knew it was lies, but why did his words bother her so much? She knew Damon and Elena had a bond, she had always known that. So why was it so hard to believe right now. She knew she shouldn't, no, couldn't have any doubts. Damon loved her, he had asked her to marry him, that was all the proof she needed.

Vella looked at Tommy, speaking very calmly. "Damon loves me. There is nothing you can say that will make me doubt that."

Tommy suddenly became enraged. His eyes grew as dark as night, his face became paler, the veins near his eyes bulging and his fangs grew long. He took off as fast as he could towards Vella, but she was expecting him. She leaped up into the tree near her, leaving him on the ground several feet away, facing the opposite direction. She leaped out of the tree, kicking Tommy from behind, which sent him flying forwards, hitting a tree. The tree fell over with a thud.

Tommy shook his head, got up quickly and ran at Vella again, but she moved out of the way again. This time she taunted him.

"I won a fight with a werewolf, so you better try a lot harder than that!"

Vella didn't think Tommy could get angrier but he did. He came flying at her again, only this time she was too slow and he knocked her down flat on her back. He quickly stopped, turned around and dove at her. She kicked both her legs out, hitting him in the chest, which sent him tried rolling over and getting up, but he managed to grab a hold of one of her legs and pulled her towards him.

Vella did her best to fight him off, but he managed to pin her to the ground. She looked into his eyes defiantly.

"No matter what you do to me, you will never change the fact that I love Damon."

It happened so fast, Vella wasnt even sure what had happened. She was looking into his eyes fearfully, when suddenly they seemed to go blank and he slumped over, then suddenly his body was being pulled away from her, replaced with a tall dark figure

"Damon!"

Damon grabbed Vella's outstretched arm and pulled her into a tight embrace, relief washing over her. Silent tears were falling from both of their eyes.

Damon let go of her, gently put his hands on either side of her face, looking deep into her eyes. "Are you okay?"  
Vella beamed at him. "I am now."

Damon smiled, pulled her close and began kissing her. They kissed passionately for a few minutes, until Stefan and Alaric came out of the trees.

Vella looked at the three men smiling. "What would I do without all of you?"

Damon looked at Vella seriously. "Let's hope you never have to find out."  
Vella smiled and slid her hand into Damon's hand. "Let's go home."

A/N: Im sorry for taking so long to update, i've been super busy and still having problems with writers block. Makes me wonder if i will ever get to the wedding huh? lol. Will try and update again soon!

Thanks for reading!


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38 ~ More than Cold Feet 

Damon began walking away with Vella, but then he turned to his brother and placed Vella's hand in his. "Take her home, now."

Both Vella and Stefan were surprised, but Vella understood. Damon wanted to get rid of Tommy's body and didn't want her to watch. She was too exhausted to argue, so she let Stefan drag her away willingly.

When they made it back to the Grill, where their cars were, Vella asked Stefan to give her a moment and she walked over to Alaric.

"Can I speak to you for a moment?"  
Alaric was just unlocking the door to his car. He turned around a little surprised.

"Sure."

Vella wasn't sure exactly how to say what she wanted to say, she just hoped Stefan wasn't listening.

"I just wanted to make sure you weren't confused about what happened earlier. It was only to save your life."

Alaric smiled at her slightly, looking directly in her eyes.

"I know."  
Vella shifted from one foot to the other nervously. She was frustrated, he was making this more difficult then it needed it be.  
"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," he replied with no hesitation.

Vella nodded slightly and then hugged him.

"Thank you," she whispered in his ear and then headed over to Stefan's car.

Stefan studied Vella's face for a moment, giving her a questioning expression, but she ignored it and got in the car.

The ride home seemed way too short for Vella. She spent the time reflecting on Tommy and the recent events, especially about Liz and what she was going to do about her. As the car pulled up to the boarding house, she began to feel more restless and nervous. She did what she could to relax, she still found it difficult after almost a year as a vampire to control her emotions. She got out of the car and sat in her outside chair, wanting to wait for Damon.

Stefan was about to walk in the house, when he turned around.

"Are you really okay?"

Vella turned to look at him with a slight smile. "Yes, I'm fine. Really."

"I can keep you company if you need, until my brother gets back."

As grateful as she was for his thoughtfulness, she really needed some alone time.

"Go inside Stefan. Elena is waiting for you."

Stefan opened his mouth to say something, but instead turned around and went in the house.

Vella sat in her chair looking up into the sky. She looked at all the bright dots that littered the dark sky, looking at them as if they were the key to finding the peace within her. Only one night ago, she had found out her ex-fiance was still alive, at least not dead and buried. She had loved him very much at one time and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. Now she was relieved he was actually dead. The conflicting emotions inside her were fighting for dominance and she didn't know which would win. But somehow, looking at the dark sky, the stars and the moon, made it more bearable for her. She wanted to remember Tommy for the loving and caring man he had once been, not the evil monster he had become. She hoped his soul was now at peace.

As she began worrying about her own soul, Damon's car came driving up the long driveway. She watched as he parked the car, got out and walked towards her with a concerned look on his face.

"I'm fine."

Damon looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to, the look said it all."

"Am I that transparent?" he asked innocently.

Vella chuckled slightly, then jumped up and put her arms around Damon, who wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm fine," she whispered in his ear. "Really."

Damon believed her this time. She really did seem fine, and as far as he could tell, she wasn't trying to turn any of her emotions off, which he was relieved about. He really hated when she turned into the emotionless monster, he prefered the sensitive and emotional woman he fell in love with.

"So are you ready to deal with Liz?" Damon asked.

Vella let go of Damon and slumped back into her chair.

"Not really."

Damon didn't say anything, he just put his arm around her in support. He knew she would tell him she was ready in her own time.

The two lovers stayed outside for awhile not speaking, just thinking, until Vella announced she was ready to go in the house and deal with the sheriff.

"Do you need me to come with you?" he asked her concerned.

Vella looked at Damon, smiling gratefully, which was enough of an answer for him.

The two walked through the basement door and down the steep stairs, stopping only feet away from the iron barred door.

Liz looked at Vella and then to Damon angrily.

"I can't believe you're one of...THEM!"

Damon laughed derisively, while Liz stared at him with a mixture of fear, annoyance and anger.

"I guess you haven't changed your mind while you've been down here?" he asked.

Liz glared daggers at him. "Like that's going to happen."

"Then there is only one way to take care of you," he stated while looking over to Vella.

Vella took a step towards the door when Liz yelled," Wait!" She stopped and stared at the sheriff curiously.

"Don't kill me, please," Liz begged.

Damon and Vella both laughed.

"We aren't going to kill you," Liz looked at Vella gratefully. "But, it isn't because either of us don't want to." Liz's look changed from grateful to fearful. "Make no mistake, I would enjoy nothing more than tearing your throat out for what you did to my family and Tommy." As she said this, her face began to change.

Liz backed up from the door frightened, while Damon placed his hand on Vella's shoulder for support, the changes on her face disappeared immediately.

Damon sneered at Liz. "You should consider yourself lucky. If I was her, I wouldn't be as forgiving."

Liz looked completely flabbergasted on top of being frightened beyond anything she had ever felt before. All she could do was think about her daughter, Caroline, hoping she would be seeing her again.

Vella really wished she could be cold and heartless at this moment. She really hated Liz. Even though she could turn it all off and kill her in an instant, she knew she would have to live with that decision for an eternity. She looked at Damon, knowing that if she asked him, he would do it for her, but she couldn't ask him to do that, this was her mess and she would take care of it.

"I know it doesn't matter to you, but I never asked for this," she glanced at Damon and then turned back to Liz. "Even now, if I could go back, I would, but that's never going to happen. Just as me trying to convince you will never change anything either."

Liz looked at Vella apologetically and whispered, "I'm sorry."

"Now you're sorry? After all you've done," Vella became angrier and her voice got louder as she spoke. "Your apology means nothing to me!"

Liz looked affronted. "You know I'm not the only one at fault, right?"  
"Of course, the whole damn council is to blame," Vella paused for dramatic effect. "But you're the only one I have here right now."

Liz backed up a few more steps, as Vella unlocked the door, ran in and shut it behind her.

Vella approached Liz slowly, who continued to back up until she was backed against the wall. As Vella stopped only a couple of feet away, she tried to slap Vella, only she was too quick and grabbed her wrist.

"You must really have a death wish," she said as she glared at her.

Liz's face had turned pure white, but she stood her ground, shaking.

Vella grabbed her by the arm and began pulling her towards the door.

"Where are you taking me?" Liz demanded.

"You'll find out when we get there," Vella replied as she pushed Liz towards Damon, who grabbed her arm and pulled her up the stairs out of the basement.

Damon dragged Liz through the house, to the front door and outside, while Vella followed behind. Stefan and Elena ran towards Vella as she was walking outside.

"What's going on?" Stefan asked concerned.

Vella turned to look at him. "Don't ask. The less you know the better," she replied then turned to continue walking.

Stefan grabbed a hold of her by the wrist and pulled her roughly to face him.  
"Let go of me Stefan," she warned.

"Not until you tell me what you're doing with the sheriff."

Stefan saw a flash in Vella's eyes that made him let go of her. She turned to leave and uttered, "Unfortunately she won't be dying tonight," as she walked out the door.

Damon drove his car out to a secluded spot, but not too far away from a main road. When he stopped the car, Vella dragged the sheriff out of the car.

"What are you going to do with me?" Liz asked frightened.

Vella looked at her with a mixture of joy and regret.

"I'm going to drain enough of your blood so that you pass out and the doctors will think you were dehydrated."

The look on Liz's face proved to Vella how scared she was. She took a kind of pleasure out of it, but she had wished it could have been different.

Liz turned to face Damon, looking pleadingly. "Please Damon, don't let this happen."

Damon glared at the sheriff, speaking in a cold detached voice. "If it was up to me, i would snap your neck."

Liz was taken aback by his attitude. She still couldn't believe that the man who had seemed so helpful in keeping the town free of vampires, was one hiimself.

"I don't think anyone is going to believe it."

Vella laughed at her. "Trust me, no one will have any idea, including you."

Liz took turns looking pleadingly into Damon and Vella's eyes, but neither of them cared. It was either this or death.

As Vella grabbed a hold of the sheriff, Damon put his hand on her shoulder.  
"Are you sure you can do this?"

"Yes," she replied confidently.

Damon kissed her lightly on the side of her cheek and stepped back a step.

Vella stared into Liz's eyes to compel her.

_'You will remember nothing about the past two days. You will remember hearing something suspicious in the woods behind your house, you went out to investigate and that's the last thing you remember.'_

Vella looked into the sheriff's eyes at her vacant expression, slightly amused. She grabbed her arm and thought about the delicious essence below the layers of skin. Her face began to change and her fangs came out. She took Liz's arm and pierced the skin on her wrist and began to drink the sweet tasting liquid. She drank until the sheriff became really weak and could no longer stand by herself, then she bit her own wrist and smeared her blood on the sheriff's bite wound so it could heal quickly. She watched as the bite began to heal in front of her eyes and then placed the sheriff on the ground.

"You ready to go?" Damon asked her.

"Absolutely," she said and sighed. "I just want this whole nightmare to end."

Damon wrapped his arms around Vella and pulled her tightly, kissing her on the top of her head.

"I know, but it's over now."

"Is it ever truly over Damon?"

Damon looked at her morosely.

"You know the answer to that, love. It will never be over as long as we have to hide what we are," Vella sighed. "But I will always be here for you no matter what."

Vella looked at Damon, who thought she was about to cry. Instead she laughed and said, "If not, I will hunt you down."

Damon laughed and began kissing her gently. He didn't know what he would do without her.

"Let's go home," Damon said and led her back to the car. 

The next day, there was a story in the newspaper about the sheriff and her disappearance. Just as Vella and Damon had figured, the doctors believed Liz had succumbed to severe hydration, so no one had to worry any longer.

Damon had known everything would be fine, but now he was able to relax. And now he wasn't lying to Vella when he said everything would be okay. He could now put his thoughts and energies back into the wedding.

Vella was happy with the news, but now it meant thinking ahead to the wedding. She had let Damon take way too much control over it and now it was too late to take any of it back, it was way to close to the date.

The following week, Vella rarely saw Damon, and when she did, it was only in the mornings and the evenings. By the end of the week, she was feeling neglected and lonely. She knew she shouldn't, but it was one of those things she was having a hard time controlling. What made it more difficult was having nothing to do.  
During that week, she cleaned the boardinghouse from top to bottom, but that only distracted her for a day and a half and then she was back to being bored. All of her friends in town were busy with their lives and Mara wasn't going to be in town for at least another week. She began feeling like the world around her was moving, while she was stuck standing still.

By the third day, Vella couldn't stand being in the house any longer. She went for a very long drive, through and around Mystic Falls but still didn't find anything to do.

The fourth day, she grabbed some books and a blanket and headed out to the park. She laid down and read books, watching people walk by. She felt regret every time she would see a nice family with little children, it would never be her and she hated it.

And on the fifth day, It became harder and harder for her to control her emotions so she stayed at home. She ended up trashing the library she had meticulously cleaned only a couple days before, and ended up spending the rest of the day and evening cleaning up her mess.

The sixth and seventh day she spent trying to write her vows. In two days she only had one sentence that was acceptable, 'I will love you forever', she couldn't think of anything else. It didn't help she wasn't much of a writer, but more so, she was nervous about what she could and couldn't say. Practically half the town would be there and that made her more nervous and paranoid. And on top of it, she still wasn't sure who she was going to ask to give her away. She had no father or close family and her best friend in the world was already her bridesmaid. The only other people that meant anything to her were going to be standing up with Damon. Even after all these months of thinking, she still hadn't come up with a solution and time was quickly ticking by. She wanted this wedding to be as perfect as it could be, after all, it would be the first and only one she would ever have.

Vella gave up trying to write and went out for a walk instead. It was late evening, the sun was just beginning to set, long shadows of trees were cast on the forest floor. She didn't have a destination in mind as she walked, she just needed a change of scenery. She watched as the daytime creatures scurried around searching for their last chance of food for the day, before the darkness would make it too dangerous for them to continue. She stalked through the trees quietly, like the predator chasing it's prey, only she wasn't really looking for any prey at this moment. Her walk lead her to a small clearing with a fallen tree. It was covered in moss and insects, but that didn't stop her from sitting down on the log. She let her mind wander, instead of thinking, hoping to come to some profound conclusion, but that didn't happen. Instead she could only think about how messed up her life was, or was that death?

Vella sat on that log for hours, She watched the sun go down, the trees now casting eerie shadows in the moonlight. The night creatures were out now, searching for their prey. Every now and then she would hear the cry of some unfortunate animal caught by a predator, a predator like her. At some point during her stay in the clearing, tears began trickling from her eyes. She wondered if anyone could ever understand how she could be so sad, when she was so happy at the same time. She had found the most wonderful man she had ever known. Damon loved her for her, he protected her and he understood her, even when she was acting crazy. But yet she felt incomplete and she coudln't understand why. Maybe she should put the wedding off.

When Vella would think about it later, she would convince herself that it was her imagination. But right now she could see her mother standing in front of her, as solid as anything else in the clearing.

"Mother?" she cried.

Vivian stared at her daughter with a loving smile and said softly, "Yes, it's me."

Tears began falling from Vella's eyes for the second time tonight.

"Mom," she sobbed.

"I can't stay long, but I had to see you."

"How...why...what," she stammered.

"Just be silent my sweetheart, I don't have much time."

Vella could see her mother's eyes were loving but very sad.

"Okay, mom."

Vivian looked at her daughter, trying to remember every detail so she could take those memories back with her when she had to leave. Where she was, things looked different.

"I know you blame yourself for what happened to me, your dad and your sister, but none of that was your fault. How could it be? I want you to stop blaming yourself sweetie," she stopped for a moment, before going on. "I want you to be free of the guilt, all of it. You should only be guilty for things you caused to happen and none of what happened was your fault. It was all my fault. I should have stopped it, but I ignored the problems until it was too late."

Vivian stopped talking for a minute, but Vella was too shocked to speak. It looked like her mother was crying and she didn't like it. She wanted to hug her and make her feel better, but she knew she couldn't.

"I know you've read my journals sweetie, but there are more of them. Find them and you will see. But I don't have anymore time."

"Mom!"

"Vella, I love you. I want you to be happy and I know Damon does that for you. Enjoy your wedding."  
"But Mom, you can't go yet!" Vella begged.

Vivian looked at her daughter lovingly. "I have to. But before I do, I want you to know that me, your dad and your sister will be there watching and supporting you. We will always love you."

"Mom!" she yelled, but she had already faded away, leaving nothing behind but a memory.

Vella flopped onto the ground and began sobbing heavily. She cried for a short while before she dozed off. It wasn't until she was being woke up, that she realized she had fallen asleep.

She opened her eyes to see a pair of stunningly beautiful blue eyes looking at her concerned.

"Are you okay, Vella?" Damon asked.

Vella stared into his eyes for a second before she understood what he had said to her. She then smiled at him lovingly.

"Believe it or not, I'm better than ever."

Damon's eyes narrowed in disbelief. "Really? Are you sure? I mean, you were sleeping in the middle of nowhere."

"Yes, absolutely positive."

Damon wasn't sure why, but he couldn't help but grin. Something in the way she said she was positive made him happy. He had been really worried about her since the whole Tommy incident, but she finally seemed okay.

Damon picked Vella up, cradling her in his arms. "Let's go home," he said as he ran towards the boarding house. 

**A/N: Sorry it's taken so long but i've been busy. Hopefully I will be able to finish the next chapter, which i started already, quickly. Its driving me crazy lol.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39 ~ The Big Day 

The next two weeks of Vella's life, were practically a blur to her. With all the preparations for the wedding, she barely had time to herself.

Her best friend Mara, her husband David and their new baby Anthony Damon, were staying with them at the boarding house for the two weeks before the wedding.

Of all the things Vella had to do for the wedding, the one she dreaded the most was the wedding shower.

Mara had promised to keep it small, but Vella found out that she had invited practically every friend she had ever had since childhood, which sent waves of fear shooting through her. She did her best to explain to Mara why she was afraid, but she didn't seem to think being a vampire was a good enough excuse. All that Vella could do was grin and bear it, but she swore not to enjoy herself. Mara just laughed at her.

The day of the shower, Vella was irritable. All she wanted to do was spend some alone time with Damon, but that wasn't happening. It had been nearly two weeks since they had been alone together and it driving her crazy. She finally understood the expression, absence makes the heart grow fonder. She knew she only had to make it a few more days and then she would have him all to herself for a couple weeks. She used that thought to get her through the shower and through the bachelor party.

As much as she dreaded all of the stuff she had to do, Vella was really enoying having Mara around. She realized how much she missed her now that she was able to see her every day, she didn't really want it to end. She was even enjoying having little Anthony around. It would be the closest she would have to a child of her own. She found herself waking in the middle of the night when he was fussy, just so she could hold him.

One night she was rocking little Anthony in a rocking chair, when Damon came in.

Vella looked at Damon happily. "What are you doing up?"

Damon smiled at her, even though he was saddened by the scene in front of him.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"Anthony was fussing, so I thought I would let Mara and David sleep."

Damon could tell she was lying, but he knew it was unintentional, she was lying to herself as well. As he stood there, he became more and more saddened, until he couldn't hold back anymore. He walked over to Vella and put his arm around her as he saw silent tears beginning to form.

"I'm sorry, Vella. I wish things were different. You don't deserve this."

Vella got up from the rocking chair and placed little Anthony back in his crib. He seemed to be relaxed and sleepy, so she left the room with Damon following her. He thought she was going to go back to the bedroom, but instead she went downstairs and out the front door.

Damon found her sitting on her chair, gently sobbing.

"Vella?"

Vella lifted her head to meet his gaze, tears streaking her face. "You promised me."

Damon looked at her confused. "What did I promise?"

Vella wiped away the tears from her eyes with the side of her hand. "You mean you've forgotten already?"

Damon pondered her question for a minute, but he still wasn't sure what she was talking about.

Vella rolled her eyes slightly and sighed. "It's a couple days before the wedding and you can't remember?"

Damon thought harder. He wanted to remember desperately, but for some reason he couldn't remember. He looked deeply into Vella's pleading eyes.

"I'm sorry love."

"You promised not to be sorry about my death anymore. You swore you wouldn't bring it up again."

Damon looked at her pleadingly. Now he knew why she was so upset, he had broken a promise to her.

"I'm so sorry Vella. Let me spend the rest of eternity making it up to you."

Vella wanted to be angry with him, but she couldn't help but grin instead. Thinking about spending an eternity with him filled her with such glee, she really couldn't stay mad.

Vella smiled at him as she spoke, "Let's go to bed, it's the last night we have together for a few days."

Damon smiled at her, whispering, "I love you," as they went up to their bedroom. 

The day before the wedding, Angie showed up in town with Vella's dress. It was packaged in a very dark bag, so no one could see it. Vella couldn't help but glance at it, before locking it up so no one could catch of glimpse of it.

She tried not to feel panicked about the wedding, but she was. It wasn't because she didn't want to marry Damon, she would be stupid not to, but it was the ceremony itself that bothered her. Vella wasn't the type of person to enjoy being in the spotlight and now it was being thrust upon her. It wouldn't have been so bad if it was just family and friends, but a lot of the town would be there. She would have been fooling herself if she denied being worried about the council being there. Vella only wished they hadn't been invited. Damon had to remind her, that his family as well as hers had been a huge part of it at one time and even though they both hated them with a passion, it would be too suspicious not to invite them.

Vella, Mara and Angie spent the day together. They went and got manicures and pedicures at the spa, as well as facials and massages. It had been awhile since Vella had enjoyed these simple pleasures, since being a vampire she didn't really need to, but she was enjoying being pampered.

Later on in the evening, they went out to dinner. Vella mostly drank and watched the other ladies eat, she would have to go out later to feed when they were asleep.

After a couple hours of drinks and talking, they went up to Vella's huge hotel room. She was spending the night away from Damon, as was tradition. She had invited her two friends to join her, since the room was huge, it would make things easier the next morning.

It was about 10 p.m. when there was a knock at the door. Mara answered it to find Damon at the door.

"I'm sorry Damon, it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding."

Damon rolled his eyes at Mara and sighed exasperatedly. "I don't believe in luck."

Mara sighed. "I thought you wanted to do this traditionally?"

Vella yelled from the other room, "Mara, just let him in."

Mara sighed but opened the door, which Damon walked through but stayed beside it.

Vella came in from the other room grinning at Damon. She looked back at Mara and shrugged. "I'll be back soon," she said as she grabbed Damon by the wrist and pulled him into the hallway of the hotel.

After Mara had shut the door behind them, Damon wrestled his wrist free, which made Vella stop and look at him.

"What are you doing?"

"You came here to see me, shouldn't I be asking you that question?" she replied sarcastically.

Damon rolled his eyes and laughed. "I thought you would want company?"  
"I have company."  
Damon laughed again only louder. "I meant to hunt silly."

"Oh."

Damon chuckled slightly and grabbed Vella's hand in his and led her to the elevator, through the lobby and out the door. They slipped into the shadows and went looking for prey together, which didn't take long on a beautiful summer night.

After they were done feeding, they found a quiet place in the hotel courtyard where they sat in the pale moonlight.

Damon was sitting beside Vella, holding both of her hands in his, staring into her eyes deeply. He had some things he had planned to say to her, but now that he was staring into her loving eyes, he couldn't quite remember what those things were.

"Vella," he started, "I want to make sure this is what you want. If you want to change your mind about the wedding, I want to know now."

Vella looked at him with a smile. "I haven't changed my mind. Tomorrow I will be Mrs. Salvatore...unless you've had a change of heart?"

Damon raised his eyebrow and pretended to be offended, then he smiled at her. "No way am I letting you get away from me."

Vella laughed softly and leaned up against him. He put his arms around her and held her. They stayed like that until Vella said it was time to get back to her friends.

As she turned around to leave, Damon grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her towards him, kissing her passionately. He stopped kissing her after a minute, holding her face in his hands and smiling. "I love you."

"I love you too," she uttered as he turned and walked away.

Vella watched him leave and then walked back to her hotel room with a smile on her face. 

The next morning, Vella, Mara and Angie had gotten up early so they could get to the hair salon. They met Elena and Jenna there.

The ladies had fun getting their hair, nails and make up done and then they headed back to the hotel just to have breakfast. When they were done eating, they left for the church.

As Vella walked into the church, she was flabbergasted. People were there decorating the church with flowers. But it wasn't the people that shocked her however, it was the flowers. Since she had no idea what Damon had chosen for the colors or types of flowers, she was completely shocked when she saw them. There were roses of the darkest red, so red they looked black. Somehow Vella wasn't surprised he had chosen them, she knew him too well. They weren't exactly the kind of flower for a wedding, but they felt fitting. She was also surprised that there were also miniature roses that were white, and pink carnations. The pink carnations made Vella's heart ache just slightly. They were her mom's favorite and it made her so happy that Damon had remembered. She was suddenly happy that she had let Damon take care of everything. He obviously knew what he was doing, maybe even too well. The thought made her smile. Now she knew why Damon had kept everything a secret from her.

Vella let Mara and Angie lead her off to the room where she would be getting ready. She didn't really want Mara to see the dress, but she couldn't ask her maid of honor to not help her get dressed, so she relented, albeit reluctantly.

As Mara unzipped the garment bag she let out a huge gasp, which brought a smile to Vella's lips. She hoped for the same reaction when she walked down the aisle.

"Okay, I bet you forgot about, something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, didnt you?" Mara asked Vella.

Vella shook her head slightly. She had forgotten but she didn't want to admit it.

"That's okay. You've already got blue covered she said, looking over at the dress."  
"Something new would be the garter belt I'm wearing."  
Mara nodded. "Okay, you just need something old and something borrowed."

"Wait!" Vella exclaimed a little too loudly.

She walked over to her purse and pulled out an old sapphire and diamond bracelet.

"This was my great-grandmother's bracelet," she said as she put it on.

"Okay, great. Now we only need something borrowed."

Angie walked over to the bag she always carried with her. You couldn't call it a purse, it was much bigger than a purse. It was more like a small suitcase. She never knew when she would have a creative moment, so she always carried supplies for designing with her. She rustled through it for a minute, searching for something. When she managed to grab hold of what she was looking for, she walked over to Vella and smiled as she handed it to her.

"This is the anklet I usually wear. I had taken it off when we were at the spa. You can borrow it."

Vella took the delicate anklet Angie offered to her with a smile and a hug. "Thank you," she said as she put it on.

The ladies all hugged each other and then began the process of getting Vella into her dress. It took quite a while to manage the dress and then all the jewellery, the gloves and the shoes, doing their best not to ruin her make up. But once it was done, Angie and Mara stood back to admire it.

"Vella," Mara said breathlessly. "You look absolutely stunning! Damon is going to die when he sees you."

Vella chuckled at the last part of Mara's statement and then Mara laughed too. While Angie looked at them strangely.

"Sorry, just wedding jitters," Vella said trying to look innocent.

There was a knock at the door that distracted Angie from asking why Mara had laughed.

"Who is it?"

"It's the photographer," Angie replied.

"No one can see me before the wedding," Vella stated adamantly.

The photographer insisted but Vella wouldn't budge. She didn't need pictures for her to remember this moment, there would be plenty of time for pictures during and after the wedding ceremony.

Not long after the photographer gave up and left, there was another knock at the door. This time it was only the florist bringing Vella's wedding bouquet.

Vella stared at the bouquet in amazement. They were almost identical to the flowers that decorated the church. There were deep red roses, so dark they looked black. Pink carnations and minature white roses. But there were also scarlet red roses, the color reminded Vella of blood, some tiny white baby's breath and some black mourning bride, which Vella thought was fitting, though a little morbid.

Angie seemed to be a little repulsed by the flowers, but she didn't voice her opinion. Mara wasn't thrilled either, but she understood.

The two ladies left Vella in the room, so they could finish up some things before the ceremony began, while Vella paced around the room, constantly checking her make up and hair. It was about five minutes later when there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" she asked as she walked behind the door.

"It's me, Stefan. I need to talk to you."

Vella sighed and closed her eyes. "No one is allowed to see me, that includes you."

"Please?"

Vella listened as she heard Stefan pacing in the hallway, mumbling to himself. Her hearing was excellent but he wasn't pronunciating his words properly so she could understand him. She didn't want him to see her, but she could tell her really wanted to talk to her.

"On one condition."  
"What's that?" Stefan asked curiously.

"Wear this over your eyes," she said and handed him a black t-shirt through the barely opened door.

Stefan wanted to protest, he really needed to see her to make his point, but he figured this was the only chance he would get so he had better take it. He tied the t-shirt around his eyes and felt his way inside the room, shutting the door behind him.

"What is it that's so important, Stefan?" Vella asked impatiently.

"This would be easier if I could look at you."  
"Well that's not going to happen. So say what you have to say then get your ass back with your brother."

His brother. That's what he was trying not to think about. He was going to stand beside his brother and basically consent to their marriage, but he couldn't, not so easily.

"Vella," he stammered. "I don't think you should marry Damon."

"What? Why?"

Stefan wasn't even sure himself. He just knew he didn't want the wedding to happen.

"I just think it's a mistake. I think you could do better than my brother."  
Vella looked at Stefan with a cold steely glance. If he could see it he might have been afraid.

"You've got to be kidding? And who would that be?"

Stefan didn't know how to answer that. He knew he loved Elena, yet he had feelings for her too. He didn't want to spend the rest of eternity thinking about what could have been. He wished he had seen it before. But somehow things seemed clearer today than before.

Vella laughed as she watched the expression on Stefan's face. It wasn't a funny laugh, it was one someone would use when something was so ridiculous it was funny. She knew what he was thinking and she wasn't going to allow him to say it.

"Stefan, I want you to leave, now!" she said sternly, with an emphasis on now.

"I can't go until I say this."

"Then do it quickly before I get angry and mess up my hair and make up!"

Stefan sucked up all the courage he could muster.

"I have feelings for you."

Vella knew it was coming, but it still came as a shock. She wasn't sure why. She could tell when they were alone that there was some unspoken bond between them. And the night Tommy was killed and Damon gave her hand to his, she could tell he took it out of something more than an obligation to his brother.

"I love your brother."

"I know you do, but I know we share something. Something deeper than most friends."

As much as she hated it, Vella knew they shared something. But she also knew it was nothing compared to how she felt about Damon. Her mind began to think back to Katherine and how the two brothers had ended up how they were in the first place. And then she thought of Elena and how the two brothers had both wanted her at one time as well. She now wondered if it was some kind of curse the two of them shared, always wanting what the other brother had. But what she was absolutely positive of, was how she felt. She loved Damon and nothing could ever change that. In many ways they were alike and they both understood each other, sometimes too well. She didn't feel like that towards Stefan. Stefan would only ever be a friend to her and soon, her brother in law.

Vella walked up to Stefan, put her hands on either side of his face and pressed her lips against his. They kissed lightly for only a moment before Vella pulled back.

"I'm sorry Stefan, but I don't feel the same," she whispered. "I love Damon...to death."

Stefan shook his head in understanding. It was all he needed to hear. He walked out the door without another word, taking off the t-shirt in the hallway and throwing it through the partially opened door.

Vella shut the door behind him and then leaned against it for support. She had felt something when she kissed Stefan, but it wasn't the same as she felt for Damon. It wasn't even nearly as strong. She fought back tears that were threatening to spill, wondering why. Why were things always so difficult for her? Why couldn't life just be easy for once. But she answered her own question. She wasn't alive anymore. So how could things ever be simple? Even her own existence was complicated.

Vella shook her head, refusing to think about these things anymore. She was about to become Mrs. Damon Salvatore. The thought made her extremely happy, almost giddy. This is all she had to think about. Being happy with him, Damon. Her lover, her friend, her maker and her soulmate. The one she knew she was meant to be with for an eternity. She wouldn't let anything or anyone ruin her day. 

**A/N: I know I've been putting off revealing what the dress looks like. Guess you have to wait for the next chapter lol.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40 ~ The Ceremony & Reception 

It wasn't long before David was knocking at the door of the room Vella was waiting in. He had come to escort her down the aisle. She couldn't have thought of someone better, who wasn't already standing up for her or Damon.

Vella took a second look at herself in the mirror, making sure everything was fine with her hair, make up and the dress, especially the dress. Then she took a deep breath and opened the door.

David looked as if his jaw had become unhinged. His mouth was hanging open in a look of shock and surprise, which please Vella. She figured much of the church would be doing the same when she walked in. There was no way anyone was going to forget that moment, she had made sure of that. She hated being in the spotlight, but since she had to be, she wanted to do it right.

After David gained his composure, he took her arm in his and led her out the door towards the entrance to the sanctuary.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

Vella flipped her veil over face. "I'm ready!"

Vella stood waiting for the wedding march to begin playing, David's arm holding hers. She was terribly nervous. On the inside she was shaking, but she was able to keep a calm exterior. Any second now she would walk into that church for all to see. She only cared about Damon's reaction though. She was pretty sure he would love the dress. No, she was absolutely sure he would. She just hoped he hadn't changed his mind.

It was as she was worrying, that the wedding march began to play and David uttered, "It's time."

Vella took a deep breath and let David lead her down the corridor into the church's sanctuary, where the ceremony was taking place.

As they walked down the aisle and through the threshhold, Vella could hear a collection of gasps and whispers of 'wow' or 'whoa' among the crowd. Her eyes were focused on Damon, who seemed too stunned to even move.

Damon was watching the figure walking down the aisle towards him as if everything was happening in slow motion. The dress was the most amazing thing he had ever seen.

The dress was made of satin, black satin. Not just a dark gray, but black and shimmering. The skirt of the dress was also made of black satin, but on top of it was a very delicate black lace. The lace flowed the entire way down the skirt, to the end of the ten foot long train. The entire dress was threaded with gold. Not just gold colored thread, but real gold, delicately spun and used to sew the entire dress. That wasn't even the most remarkable part of the dress. What really made it stand out, besides the black color of it, was the jewels. The entire dress had lapis lazuli sewn into it. They sparkled like bright blue diamonds in the church light as Vella walked. Her veil was black as well. Attached to what looked like a small tiara made up of lapis lazuli instead if diamonds.

No one in the church could keep their eyes off of Vella as she walked down the aisle. It was so quiet, it almost seemed like no one was breathing.

Vella hadn't known how well the dress was going to fit in with the flowers when she asked Angie to create it. Now it seemed exactly perfect. But best of all, she could tell that Damon loved the dress and to her that was all that mattered.

She looked over at her maid of honor, Mara, and smiled. Even though she couldn't see it under the veil. She quickly looked over at her bridesmaids, Angie, Jenna and Elena as well, smiling towards them. They were all wearing blue satin gowns, similar to the color of lapis lazuli.

As she walked to stand beside Damon, she quickly glanced over to his best man, Stefan. He was looking at her with a mixture of shock and sadness. She quickly looked over to Alaric, who just seemed to be smiling happily.

When she was right beside Damon, David let go of her arm, smiling, and walked over to his seat in the front row.

Vella turned to Damon, who slowly lifted the veil off of her beautiful face and placed it up over her head, draping behind her. They both smiled at each other lovingly, holding each other's hand, they turned towards the priest.

It wasn't until the priest began to preach, that all the whispers in the church quieted down.

Vella tried her best to listen, but she was having difficulty concentrating. This was it. This was the real beginning of her eternity with Damon. There was no turning back now. But that was the last thing she wanted to do. She was anxiously awaiting the time to say their vows, which she had neglected to write, even after several failed attempts. She had eventually decided to just say whatever came to her while she was standing in the church, in front of everyone. But as she stood there, she became more and more anxious. She hoped she would be able to say something that was at least cohesive, because her brain didn't seem to be able to think anymore.

What was making it more difficult for her were the odd whispers she could hear among everyone in attendance. She tried her best to tune it out, but today was not a day she was able to do it properly. It almost seemed like Damon could read her mind, because when she seemed to be on the brink of freaking out, he would squeeze her hand gently in support and it helped her relax.

When the priest turned to them, letting them know it was time for their vows, Vella felt herself panic as she turned to face Damon. But looking deep into his stunning blue eyes, did more than relax her, she almost melted within them.

Damon took both of Vella's hands in his and looked deep in her eye's and smiling as he spoke.

"Vella. Thinking back to how we met, I'm really not sure how we got here. I'm sure everyone in this room, including myself, is surprised that someone finally managed to get me to settle down." Many snickers could be heard in the church. "But ever since we met, there was something about you that drove me crazy." Vella smiled knowingly. "When I think to my future now, I can see you in it. Before I met you I never even thought about the future. I lived every day as it came along." Damon paused for a second, then went on. "All I know now, is I could never live another day without you. No one has even come close to understanding me like you do...and you still love me knowing all of it." Vella grinned. "No words could ever explain to you how I feel. I will just have to show you every day forever. I love you."

Vella smiled at Damon while looking deep into his eyes. All of her earlier worries about not knowing what to say, seemed to have disappeared as if by magic.

"Damon. When I first met you, I thought you were a jerk." More snickers could be heard throughout the church. "But it didn't take me long to realize why you act that way. You were there for me, when people I have known most of my life weren't. You helped me through a really rough patch in my life. You put up with me when I'm acting crazy, silly or... ummmm, just being difficult. But most of all, you make life worth living. I don't know what I would do without you." Vella paused for a second before grinning and going on. "And I forgot to thank you for convincing me to marry you. I love you, forever."

Damon smiled and winked at her as they turned back to the priest. Who after a minute, got to the part Vella had been dreading.

"If anyone here knows why this couple should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Vella could hear whispers, but no one seemed to be saying anything significant. That was until she heard Tyler.

Tyler was standing up, His father was trying to get him to sit back down but he wouldn't budge. All he did was glare in Vella and Damon's direction, not uttering a word. After a long minute, where everyone, even the priest, was staring at Tyler. He stormed out of the church, slamming the doors noisily.

"What was that about?" Mara whispered, looking towards Vella.

Vella shrugged her shoulders and turned back to the priest. Damon squeezed her hand firmly in support. He knew she would be upset.

The priest went back to preaching as quickly as he could, which relieved Vella and Damon both. They exchanged rings, both of them smiling brightly. And when it came time for the kiss, Damon didn't hesitate kissing her as passionately as he could, ignoring the gasps and whispers. But Vella had to stop him as he got a little too carried away.

They walked hand in hand out of the church and into the awaiting limo, which was going to take them for photographs.

"So how does it feel being Mrs. Salvatore?" Damon asked grinning.

Vella beamed at him. "Better than I could ever have imagined."

Damon pulled Vella towards him and began kissing her. Each of them groping at each other wildly, until Vella realized the limo had stopped.

"Damon!" she said exasperatedly. "Now my make up is messed up!"  
Damon grinned, but didn't apologize.

Vella gave him a dirty look and rolled her eyes, as he helped her out of the limo.

Mara and Angie came a couple minutes later. They were not too impressed with Vella's messed up make up that they had to fix to take photographs.

Vella let them fix her make up and hair and didn't protest. She had other things on her mind. All she could think about was Tyler. She was worried about his outburst during the ceremony. But she didn't have much time to think about it as she took photos.

After the photos, Damon and Vella took a drive in the limo. They just drove around until it was time for the reception.

"I can't believe how amazing that dress is," Damon said, while they were driving.

Vella smiled. "Well Angie made it."  
"That's true but it was your idea.."  
"Yes, but she was amazing enough to put it together for me. Even better than I had imagined."  
Damon looked at Vella with look she thought was strange.

"What?"

Damon smiled slighty. "You scare me sometimes."

"I do?" she asked confused.

Damon laughed at Vella, which made her narrow her eyes at him.

"Yes, you do. How did you know I was hoping your wedding dress was black?"

Vella shrugged her shoulders and smiled sweetly. "I guess we're just on the same wavelength."

Damon narrowed his eyes at her playfully.

"Sometimes I wonder if you can read my mind."

Vella smiled and batted her eyelashes at him innocently but didn't say any more. The limo had come to a stop in front of their reception hall.

Damon got out first and helped her out. There were a lot of people waiting outside to greet them as they walked into the hall.

Vella was surprised at the decorations in the hall. The same flowers that were used in the church, could be seen decorating the head table and the centerpieces on each of the tables. It was a strange sight, but she thought it was fitting.

Damon, Vella and the bridal party were seated at the head table, while everyone else were seated at separate tables set around the huge hall.

For Vella, it was strange to be seated in front of everyone pretending to eat. She rarely did it, so she was not quite as practiced as Damon or Stefan. She felt like all eyes were on her, which was partly true. But no one would have thought anything of her not eating anyways. She could just say she was too nervous and everyone would believe it.

When Stefan was asked to toast his brother and new wife, Vella cringed. She was worried what he was going to say, but she didn't need to be. He just praised his brother for choosing a wonderful woman. And sarcastically said he hoped she would straighten him out permanently. To which the whole room laughed.

After they were finished eating, the tables were cleared and moved to get prepared for the dancing. But in the meantime, it was time for the throwing of the bouquet.

Vella closed her eyes, concentrating on her strength. She didn't want to throw the bouquet too hard. She threw it backwards and turned to watch the ladies scrambling to catch it.

Elena caught it, which earned her some dirty looks from the other single ladies, especially Caroline.

When it came time for Damon to retrieve the garter belt from Vella's thigh, all the guys seemed more interested in looking up her dress than catching the garter belt.

Damon lifted the dress, running his mouth gently up her leg, all the way up to her inner thigh. He used his teeth to pull it down her leg, all the while there were cheers and cat calls from people around the hall.

Vella was slightly embarrassed, but she didn't blush. She watched Damon fling the garter belt towards the single men. It seemed like Stefan and Alaric wanted to catch it more than any of the other men, but she thought it might be her imagination as well.

However, neither of them caught it. Tyler did.

Vella felt a cold shiver down her spine as she looked at him. He looked at her with a smile. A cold, heartless smile.

Damon could feel Vella tense up as he grabbed her and kissed her. He figured it was the best way to distract her without calling attention to the situation.

"It's okay, Vella," he whispered reassuringly in her ear. "This is our party, not his."  
Vella knew Damon was right. She wasn't going to let Tyler spoil her night. This was supposed to be the beginning of her new life and she wanted to start it out right. She pushed all of her fears out of her mind and let Damon lead her towards the wedding cake.

The cake, Vella now noticed, was enormous. It was six tiers. The bottom layer alone was huge. It was round and about the size of a small family's kitchen table. Each layer getting progressively smaller. It was an unusual flavor for a wedding cake, strawberry. It was iced with a white icing and decorated with red and black flowers.

Vella was completely surprised by the cake. From the dark red color of the cake itself, to the beautiful red and black flowers. She was very impressed. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought Damon had done this before.

They cut the cake together, Damon uttering something about the old cliche of shoving the cake in their spouses face and how tired and old it was. But that didn't stop Vella from squishing it in his face, which she then proceeded to eat it off of him.

Mara stepped in at this point and reminded them they had an audience, shoving some napkins in Damon's hand and laughing.

Vella and Damon laughed, while she cleaned up his face for him.

It was then time for their first dance.

Vella was freaked out. She had totally forgotten about the dancing. She wasn't very good, but Damon was an excellent partner. He lead her through it so well, no one noticed how bad she was.

The dance with the best man though, did not go so easy.

Vella felt awkward in Stefan's arms after their earlier talk. But she tried her best not to show it. She definitely didn't want to have to explain it to Damon right now, or ever. The best way to distract herself was to watch Damon dancing with Mara.

When her dance was done, most of the people in the room had walked onto the dance floor, joining in.  
That was the moment she had been waiting for. She took Damon's hand and pulled him aside.

"Can we get some fresh air for a moment?"

Damon looked at her curiously. "But we have guests to entertain."

Vella rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "We will only be a minute. Please?"

Damon couldn't resist the way she said, 'please' so he gave in.

They quietly walked outside for some fresh air, doing their best to sneak out without being seen.

No one seemed to be outside, which pleased Vella.

"What's this all about?"

Vella rolled her eyes and in a playful voice said, "Sometimes you are so clueless."

Damon laughed, pulling her into an embrace.

"Is something wrong?"

Vella wriggled out of his arms and looked into the sky. She was looking for the moon. In fact, looking to see if it was full or almost full.

After watching her, Damon realized what she was worried about.

"Are you worried about Tyler?"

"Yes."

Damon sighed. "Are you afraid the spell didn't work?"

"No, I think the spell worked just fine. I just..." her voice trailed off.

Damon grabbed her and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"I want you to stop worrying. This isn't the night. If I have to rip him limb from limb tonight I will."

Vella smiled at him weakly. "I appreciate that Damon. But I can't help but worry. Whatever cursed him was powerful. I'm not sure me or even Bonnie is powerful enough to stop it."

"Even if that's true. There is no way he remembers what happened."

"You're right, he won't remember details. But you know as well as I do that compelling someone to forget isn't perfect, or foolproof."

Damon sighed and raised his hand to his face in thought. He knew she was referring to Jeremy. Jeremy would never remember what happened with Vicky, but he would always feel like something was wrong, like he knew deep down inside, but could never understand or explain it.

"Is that what you think is going on with Tyler? You think he's remembering feelings of hatred towards us?"

Vella looked at him sadly. "That's exactly what I think." She looked up at the sky again. "It's only half a moon tonight, so we have some time before we know if it's more than that."  
Damon took a hold of Vella's hand and began walking towards the hall. "We will worry about that later then. Let's get back to our party"

Vella smiled at him and let him lead her back into the hall.

The rest of the night they dance and partied and had as much fun as they could. Vella drank more than she intended too, but Damon looked after her.

When it was almost time for the party to be over, the two newlyweds got in a limo and went back to the newlywed suite at the hotel.

As tempting as it was, Vella wasn't thinking of sex right at this moment. She wanted to know where they were going on their honeymoon. She tried everything she could to get the answer out of Damon, but he wouldn't relent.

"I will get you to tell me yet, Mr. Salvatore," Vella said, smiling coyly.

Damon looked at her smiling deviously. "There is nothing you can do to get me to tell you. But you are free to try."

Vella took that as an invitation. She grabbed Damon roughly and began kissing him on the neck. It wasn't long before she couldn't resist any longer and pierced his skin with her lengthened fangs.

The two of them made love to each other passionately through the night and early morning, not falling asleep until the sun was coming up.

"I love you, Damon," Vella whispered as she lay in Damon's arms.

"I love you, Vella. Forever," Damon whispered as he closed his eyes and fell asleep. 

**A/N: I'm hoping the description for the dress was adequate. Heck I hope the whole chapter is fine, I'm not much of a wedding person lol.**

**I'm going on a trip away, so it may be some time before I can get another chapter written.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41 ~ The Honeymoon 

It was late afternoon when Damon and Vella woke up.

Vella had tried as best as she could to find out where they were going for the honeymoon, but nothing worked. Damon had held steadfast to the secret.

I'm glad he's on my side, she thought and snickered to herself.

The two of them showered and packed up the stuff they had in the hotel room and then caught the limo that was waiting for them outside.

The limo took them to the airport, but it wasn't to the main part of the airport, it was much farther in and away from the huge jets.

The limo driver held the door so Vella and Damon could get out.

Vella looked around in wonder, she really had no idea what was going on. Damon just took her hand and led her over to a smaller jet.

"What about packing?" Vella asked Damon curiously.

Damon chuckled lightly. "I've taken care of all of it."

"You packed for me?"

"Well I couldn't tell you what to pack or you might figure out where we were going."

Vella narrowed her eyes in a joking way, crossed her arms dramatically with a pouting look and chuckled slightly.

Damon laughed and pulled her towards her in an embrace and began to kiss her gently.  
"I love you, Vella."

"I love you too, but I'm still gonna pout," she said and laughed.

Damon smiled and then laughed at her. He was happier than he had ever been in his entire life.

One of the flight crew from the plane walked over to them, giving them instructions and then they followed him to the plane.

They walked up the stairs, but when they got to the top, Damon picked Vella up in his arms, jokingly to walk over the threshhold...again.

The flight crew looked at them like they were crazy, but the two laughed and laughed.

Damon and Vella relaxed and had a few drinks, buckling up when they were about to take off.

Vella looked at Damon apprehensively. "Ummm, I have to tell you something."

Damon looked at her surprised, wondering what it could be.

"You're going to think I'm silly though."

Damon raised his eyebrow at her. "I hardly doubt anything you would say could be silly."

Vella looked at him apprehensively. "Then promise not to laugh."

Damon began to smile. "Now I can't promise you that when I don't know what it is. Just saying that to me makes me want to laugh."

Vella rolled her eyes exaggeratedly and sighed. "Okay, fine."

Vella sat there for a minute without saying anything, staring at Damon. She felt utterly ashamed for what she was about to confess to him.

Damon stared at her waiting impatiently. He was actually worried about what she was going to say, even though she wanted him not to laugh, so it probably wasn't something important, but he thought he already knew everything about her.

Suddenly he remembered what people said about marriage, how things change once the ring was on the finger. That worried him. He did his best to forget the insecure thoughts though, he knew she was his forever. Maybe one day he would actually believe it.

"I'm afraid of flying."

Damon looked at her with a blank stare. He had half expected some elaborate lie, make believe story or something totally off the wall. Being afraid of flying, that wasn't anything close.

While he admonished himself for having an over active imagination, Vella was staring at him wordlessly, waiting for his reaction.

Then it was like a dam broke and Damon began laughing uncontrollably. So much so he couldn't stop.

Vella watched him laugh. At first she was angry and hurt, but the more he laughed, the more it made her want to laugh.

What began as a smile, because he looked insane laughing like a mad man, turned into a laugh. Until Vella was able to gain her composure, then she slapped his arm.

Damon instinctively put his hand where she had slapped him, even though it didn't really hurt.

"I'm sorry for laughing," he managed to say through his waning laughter.

Vella tried to be angry, but she wasn't really, not anymore. She was more annoyed that he found it so hilarious.

"You don't look sorry."

Damon looked at her apologetically. "I'm sorry. I was expecting a much...different sort of confession."

Vella rolled her eyes. "And here I thought you had went insane."

Damon rolled his eyes mockingly and laughed.

"Damon!"

Damon looked at her again apologetically, only this time he was genuine, and put his hand on hers.

Vella ripped her hand away from him and stuck her tongue out.

"Now now young lady, that isn't any way to behave now is it?"

Vella rolled her eyes and was about to say something when she was startled by the plane suddenly moving.

Suddenly she was in panic mode. She tried to unbuckle the belt, but her fingers were shaking too much that she couldn't get the latch open. She was about to just try and rip it apart, when Damon laid a gentle hand on her.

"Vella, look at me," he said gently and calmly.

Damon's touch was enough to calm her down slightly.

"You can't undo your belt while we're about to take off."

"But, but, I can't stay here."

"Vella," he said firmly, but not angrily. "It will be fine, I promise."

Vella looked at Damon and breathed a long sigh, trying to help herself relax.

Damon could tell she was still agitated. He grabbed a hold of her hand and pulled her forcefully, so she would look him straight in the eyes.

"You can do this. You can control how you feel, remember?"

Vella looked at him strangely, but soon a look of understanding flitted across her face.

When she opened her mouth to speak, she was able to speak calm and rationally.

"I'm sorry."

Damon smiled and squeezed her hand. "Don't apologize. Just concentrate."

Vella did what he asked, and in no time she was able to be stay calm, despite the fear.

"You must think I'm silly?"

Damon smiled at her and shook his head.  
"Of course I don't think you're silly."

Vella was grateful for his reply, but she knew it was a lie. Even she knew she was being silly. She was immortal, so why should she be afraid of a plane? Of course she knew if it crashed and broke out into flames then she could die, but she knew how slim the chances were of that happening. But most of all, she was silly for even worrying. Maybe one day she would remember to control herself better.

Damon watched her carefully. He knew she was thinking and he figured he knew about what.

She always sees herself as silly, he thought. I wish she could see herself through my eyes. I'm glad she's not a cold, heartless killer. I love when she's silly, it's so fun, so human.

As Damon was thinking about her, a smile rose to his face, which Vella noticed.

"What are you smiling about?"

The plane was in the air now, so he was able to unbuckle his belt now, which he did stealthily and quickly, before Vella had time to react.

Before she knew it, Damon had unbuckled her, and pulled her into his arms tightly.

Vella snuggled up to him, wrapping her arms around him just as tightly. She wished she could stay like this forever, safe in his strong arms, smelling him, tasting him, touching him, being with him and him alone.

Damon couldn't read her mind, but he was able to read her body language. He took his hands and put them on either side of her face and stared into her eyes as he spoke.

"We have forever."

Vella reached up and pulled Damon's hands from her face, entwining his fingers in hers and kissed his lips slowly and gently. Then she laughed and said, "Don't you forget it either."

Damon laughed and slapped her playfully on the behind.

"Would you like a drink?"

Vella smiled at him and nodded. She watched as he poured two drinks and handed her one, which she took gratefully and sat down.

"So how long is this flight?"

Damon narrowed his eyes at her for a second in suspicion.

"It's normally a 12 hour flight but this is a small jet, so we will be making a stop to refuel before we get there."

Vella sighed.

"Okay, what's wrong now?"

Vella glared at him sarcastically.

"Well that's an awfully long flight. I guess that means we are heading to somewhere in Europe...or around there?"

Damon looked at her shrewdly. He had forgotten how smart she was. But he was positive she wouldn't figure out exactly where they were going.

"Yeah, something like that," he said."Is there something else?"

Vella fluttered her eyes slightly and smiled.

A look of understanding passed over Damon's face.

"I brought some blood with me, but if you prefer, the flight staff..."

Vella smiled at him. "Well you know how much I love my blood fresh and warm."

Damon laughed. "Well just be careful."

Vella rolled her eyes at him and walked up to the flight attendant.

"Would you like something to eat?" the flight attendant asked sweetly.

Vella stifled a laugh and compelled her. She stood still, enjoying the sensation of her fangs lengthening, before plunging them into the flight attendant's neck, drinking just enough to satisfy her thirst.

It excited Damon to watch her feed, but he wasn't hungry. He had already eaten earlier that morning after he had finished packing. Instead he grabbed himself another drink and sat down to relax.

Once Vella had finished feeding, she grabbed herself a drink as well and sat with Damon. They spent much of the remaining time talking before they landed at their destination. 

Damon insisted on blindfolding her, or he wasn't going to allow her off the plane. Normally she would have refused to go along with him, in principal, but she knew he had planned this out and she didn't want to disappoint him.

He kept her blindfolded for quite a while. Leading her into a vehicle, a limo she assumed, which drove for quite awhile before they stopped. Then into a building that was large and open with high ceilings, she could tell because of the way voices echoed in the room.

When she was ushered into a corridor that was filled with stairs, she finally had to protest.  
"Damon, can I take this stupid thing off? I'm afraid I'm gonna trip on these stairs."

Damon laughed quietly. "I will make sure you won't trip. We're almost there."

Vella sighed, but allowed him to lead her up the stairs.  
When they got to the top of the stairs, she heard a door creak open and he lead her through it. She could tell by the feel and the muffled sounds of her foot falls, that she was walking on carpet.

"Now?" Vella asked impatiently.

Damon sighed loudly. "Almost," as he squeezed her hand, pulling it gently.

It was only a few seconds later he stopped, and she heard another creaking of a door and the smell of fresh air. Then he guided her over a step and she could tell by the sound and smell, that she was outside.

Vella could feel the anticipation building in her body, like it was going to errupt any second. Every millisecond was like a slow form of torture. Feeling Damon breathing against her neck while he slowly untied the blindfold was the catalyst. She felt she would scream out at any minute.

Suddenly she could see again, and what she saw was spectacular.

She was standing on a balcony, but not in a new building, an older building. As far as her vampire eyes could see, there were older buildings made of stone, narrow streets and canals.  
Vella had never been here, but she knew where she was, Venice, Italy. She turned to look at Damon, who was smiling from ear to ear.

"So was it worth the surprise?"

Vella smiled and jumped at him, embracing him tightly.

"Of course," she whispered.

The two lovers kissed for a few minutes, before Damon decided it was time to sit at the table and have a few drinks.

While they were sitting quietly enjoying their beautiful view, Damon was thinking about his past. He was originally born in Italy, but his family had left for America when he was still young. He didn't know it then, but Italians knew about vampires. He found that out when he had returned here years after he had left Mystic Falls for the first time. He was still in mid thought when Vella interrupted him.

"What are you thinking about?"

Damon looked at her with an eyebrow raised and then she started laughing at him giddily.

"What?"

"You seemed to be a million miles away just now."

Damon smiled at her.

"I was. I was thinking about us."

This time Vella raised her eyebrow at him.

"Somehow I don't think you were thinking about us."

Damon narrowed her eyes at her playfully.

"You calling me a liar?"

"Yup."

Damon got up from his chair and was beside Vella in an instant. He grabbed her from her chair roughly and began to kiss her. Only a moment later, he picked her up and carried her inside to the bedroom and made love to her for hours. 

It was late evening by the time Damon and Vella left their room to check out the sights.

Vella was impressed by how beautiful the city looked even at night. She couldn't imagine a more stunning place. Maybe we could stay here for awhile when we live Mystic Falls, she mused.

The two of them walked around the city all night and into the early morning, making it to their room in time to watch the sunrise, before finding their way into their bed exhausted..

Damon and Vella spent the next ten days exploring Venice and other parts of Italy. Vella had insisted on going to the beach a few of the days, which bored Damon, but he never told her that. 

It was the day before they were going to leave for home. They where sitting on the balcony having a few drinks when there was a knock at their door.

Damon got up to answer it, returning with a bottle of wine.

"A gift from the hotel."

Vella smiled. "Well that was sweet of them."

Damon laughed. "Maybe they are happy we're leaving soon."

Vella laughed and got up to find two clean wine glasses, which Damon poured the wine into.

Vella took a smell of it, and wrinkled her nose. "It smells funny."

Damon smelled it too. "It's fine love, it's just Italian wine."

Vella decided to drink it down quickly so she didn't have to taste it.

As she was watching Damon drinking, Vella began to feel weak and light headed. She fought as much as she could, but her eyes couldn't focus and her lids felt as if they were heavy.

"Oh my god, Vella, are you okay?"

Vella couldn't respond, she was too weak. She passed out on the table, but not before she saw Damon begin to fall over too.

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this written. Not sure when I will have the next chapter done, i'm having writer's block again.**

**I would really appreciate some reviews if you have time.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42 ~ Strange Encounter 

The first thing she felt was the pain in her head. It felt as if she'd been beaten with a baseball bat.

Vella tried opening her eyes, but it was difficult. Her eyelids felt as if they weighed 100 pounds.

She was laying on a cold, hard surface. She imagined she was on a concrete floor. She could barely remember what had lead up to her being wherever she was, but it was slowly coming back to her.

She was with Damon on the balcony of their hotel. They were drinking wine that the hotel had given to them, then she passed out.

Damon!

Vella struggled to open her eyes again, this time she was able to open them slightly. She slowly scanned the area as best as she could.

She was right, she was lying on a concrete floor. It was completely dark in the room, except for a teeny tiny sliver of white light across the room. There didn't seem to be any windows or any furniture that she could see.

Vella struggled some more and managed to get herself into a sitting position, with her knees to her chest. The exertion made her tired and her head was now pounding worse than it already had.

Now that she was sitting, she could tell there was nothing, or no one, in the room except for her. This observation brought waves of fear washing over her.

Where was Damon? Where was she? Who brought her here and what did they want? These were the questions running through her head. But most importantly, she wanted to know where Damon was.

Vella sat alone for what seemed hours. She was still too weak to move much, so she sat there on the cold floor with her head on her knees, listening. She didn't hear much. Sometimes she thought she could hear footsteps in the distance, but they never came any closer. She wondered if they were her imagination.

At some point, Vella had dozed off. She woke up in the same position she had fallen asleep in. Quickly she scanned the room, hoping to see something new, but it was still dark.

Her head wasn't pounding anymore, so she tried to stand up. Her legs were wobbly but she managed she get to her feet. It seemed the vervain in her system was almost gone.

Standing up didn't reveal any new information about her surroundings, but it helped with the pain in her legs.

Walking around the room, didnt help either. There was nothing in the room other than herself. And walking to the door didn't help her hear any better. That was the strangest part for her. Almost no sound. It made her feel lonelier than she felt already.

After punching the wall in frustration, she slumped against the wall opposite of the door, slowly sliding to the floor and began to sob.

Vella sobbed for quite awhile, until she seemed to have cried every tear she had. Her eyes were red and sore and now she was beginning to get hungry.

She had no clue how long it had been since she had last eaten, but it felt like a couple of days.

All she wanted to do was get out of this room and find Damon, it was all she could think about, other than her thirst.

Vella sat against the wall for quite awhile, dozing off for only a few seconds several times, until she heard some voices near the room.

If she had been strong, she would stand by the door and try to surprise them, but she knew that wasn't going to work. For now she was going to have to behave. But only for now.

Vella watched as the door opened slowly and someone walked in, closing the door behind them. She could tell it wasn't Damon, which left her with feelings of sadness and fear.

Suddenly, lights came on in the room.

Vella wasn't sure if it was because she had been in the dark for so long, but the light practically blinded her. The pain shot through her eyes so painfully, as if someone had stabbed them. She did her best to close them tightly and put her hands over her eyes, but it didn't seem to help that much. It was only then she realized her necklace was missing.

"I'm sorry," the man's voice said. "I can't dim the lights, but it's better I keep you as incapacitated as I can. For now."

Vella cringed slightly as he spoke. His voice was quite deep but he spoke softly. It seemed like the kind of voice you could easily lure someone in with.

He touched her shoulder, which made her jump away from him.

"Don't touch me!"

As she backed away further, she took her hands off of her eyes. The pain in her head and eyes was painful, but she could see.

Standing in front of Vella was a tall but slender man. He had olive skin, long sleek black hair that seemed to shine, and dark eyes. He looked young, but she could tell by his eyes that he was much older than he looked.

"Once again I'm sorry," the man said. "Where are my manners? My name is Dominic."

Vella glared at him while he stuck out his hand for her to shake, but she never took it.

Dominic held his hand there for a minute, then put it back at his side, smiling.

"I don't blame you. I'm sure you must be pretty scared."

Vella looked at him with her jaw wide open. "Scared? That has nothing to do with shaking your hand."

"So, then you arent scared?"

What the hell kind of question is that? she thought.

"I want to know where Damon is."

"You will see him soon."  
"When?"

Dominic smiled at her, which made her very uneasy.

"Well that all depends."

"Depends on what?"

"That depends on you. If you behave and do what I ask, then you will see him."

Vella wasn't sure if she could believe him, but for some reason she thought he was telling the truth.

"What do you want from me?"

Dominic seemed to smile and study her carefully at this question. She wasn't sure if he was amused or if there was something else in that look, but it made her suddenly feel cold inside.

"It's not quite time for that yet. But you will know soon enough."

The pain in Vella's head had gotten worse, until suddenly she felt like her head was going to explode. The pain was so much, she was afraid she was going to pass out. She wobbled a bit on her legs and then fell forward. She stuck her arms out weakly getting ready to brace herself, but instead Dominic caught her in his arms.

"Oh dear, I think you need some food," he said with mild concern. "Delilah?"

The hands that were holding Vella were firm but gentle. She could barely move without hurting somewhere. If it had only been from hunger, she could have dealt with that. It was the damage the vervain had done while she had been too weak from lack of blood to fight it.

It wasn't long before a petite young woman with fiery red hair, a slim build and almost sparkling white teeth walked into the room smiling mischieviously.

"You summoned?"  
Dominic turned to face the young woman with a serious look. "Yes, Delilah. Could you bring Rafael in here please?"

Delilah looked at him with a serious look. "You are going to share your pet with her?"

Dominic gave her a stern look. "Don't question me. Just do as I ask."

Delilah paused for a moment, before gracefully sweeping out of the room.

Dominic shifted Vella in his arms, one wrapped around her waist and the other around her back near her neck. She was unable to support her body or even her head, so he held the back of her head so he could look at her.

"Vella?" he whispered.

Vella felt a strange sensation, like she was falling but suddenly she stopped in mid air. Involuntarily, her eyes opened slowly to see Dominic's face very close to hers. Stangely, she didn't feel the urge to pull away, instead she wanted to stare into his eyes. Dominic smiled at her slightly.

When Delilah walked in the room, Vella felt the connection between herself and Dominic separate.

Vella hadn't noticed at first, but Delilah was half dragging a man behind her. He was a short man with scraggly dark hair and an unmistakeable look of horror on his face.

Dominic began to whisper in Vella's ear. "Can you feel his fear? Can you hear his heart pumping wildy in his chest? It makes you hungry, doesn't it?"

Vella was now supporting her own body upright. The thought of fresh blood was too inticing to feel her pain at the moment, her whole body was aching for it. Just thinking about it caused her fangs to grow.

The short man let out a cry, which sounded a lot like a cat choking on a hairball.

Vella didn't need anyone to tell her, she just knew what the man was and what she needed to do. Moving as fast as she could manage, she got to the man, grabbed his shoulders firmly and sunk her long, sharp fangs into his neck.

A warm wave swept over Vella as she drank the man's blood. It enveloped her completely, making her feel strong and alive. She drank as deeply as she could, until she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder pulling her away.

Dominic put his arm around her gently, turning her away from the man, who was now being half carried by Delilah.

"Feeling better now?"

Vella looked at him, studying his face, now that she could see much better. She thought he looked quite handsome and had a strong presence. The kind people gravitate towards.

"Yes."

Dominic smiled, pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and gently wiped the blood from Vella's chin.

"You look much better."

Vella narrowed her eyes at him. "So are you finally going to tell me why I'm here?"

He smiled but looked like he was unhappy.

"I can't yet. But I will soon, I promise."

Vella knew she was crazy for thinking this way, but she believed him. Even though she sensed something more.

Dominic removed his arm from behind her and looked at her seriously.

"I have to go for now. Promise me you will behave yourself and I will make sure Damon will be brought to you."

Vella looked at him almost gratefully. She knew she had to play along or who knew what would happen.

"Of course."  
"Then I will see you shortly," he said as he glided across the room, out the door, closing it behind him. The light went out after the door shut.

Vella was stunned. She had no idea what to do and now she was alone again in the dark. She almost thought it was better when she hadn't eaten because she could sleep and forget where she was, but right now she was too alert to rest. But it wasn't just that. She was wondering why she was here and what they could possibly want with her and Damon. All she knew was they were vampires.

After much thinking, she came to the conclusion it had to do with Damon. It was the only possible conclusion. But that didn't make it an easier to be stuck where she was alone, with no idea when or if she would ever get out.

Vella was deep in thought when the door opened and someone came stumbling in the room, the door being shut behind them.

"Damon!"

Vella ran over to Damon and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"I never thought I would see you again," Vella said while gently sobbing.

Damon held her as tight as he could, but he was weak.

"I love you, Vella," he whispered.

Vella pulled back slightly and realized he was weak and pale.

"Haven't you had anything to eat?"  
"No."

Vella had no idea why she had been allowed to eat and Damon hadn't, but she intended to find out.

She helped Damon down on to the floor and sat beside him.

"Take some blood from me, Damon."

Damon looked at her seriously. "No, you need your strength."

"So do you."  
"Please, just do what I ask you and don't be stubborn for once."

She couldn't believe her ears. It almost sounded like begging. But she wasn't going to give in no matter what.

"Do it or I will force it down your throat!"

Damon looked at her exasperatedly and sighed, but didn't say anything. He just closed his eyes and laid his head against her.

Vella felt a pang of guilt for a moment. He was suffering while she wasn't, she didn't like it. She lifted her wrist to her mouth and was about to bite down, when he stopped her.

"Vella. If you do that, they're going to get angry and who knows what will happen...to both of us."

Vella looked at him surprised and then she sighed. He was probably right. Until she knew what they wanted it was probably best not to do anything that might upset them. Instead, she decided to just sit with Damon and try not to worry too much.

Damon stayed quiet while he was in Vella's arms. He felt like a failure because he couldn't help her right now. He still wasn't sure what was going on, but it didn't really matter. Whatever it was, surely it was his fault. He just hoped that whatever happened, he wouldn't lose her. He couldn't bear that again.

**A/N: I guess i'm getting the hang of cliffhangers eh? LOL! I will do my best to update again soon.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43 ~ Mysterious Intentions 

Vella and Damon sat on the floor together for what seemed like a day, though it was only a few hours.

Vella began to get worried about Damon when he kept dozing off and waking up crying out in pain. It was breaking her heart that she couldn't help him, or at least that he refused to let her help him. But she knew better than to keep pushing him. He needed his strength to keep fighting, not to fight with her.

Damon was trying his best to not show how much pain he was really in. If anything, he should be the one worrying about her, not the other way around. He was angry, frustrated and weak. All the things he hated to be, let alone show.

Dominic walked in the door quietly, during one of Damon's naps.

Even though he was quiet, Damon sensed him anyway and woke up immediately giving him the most evil glare he could muster.

Dominic chuckled in mild amusement. "I see you still have enough strength to be foolish."

Vella stood up and looked at him angrily. "It's not him you have to worry about, it's me."

Dominic shifted his gaze to Vella. He seemed to be studying her again and she didn't like it.

"My dear, you won't do anything as long as you are worried about your beloved."

She hated to admit it, but he was right. She wouldn't risk getting Damon killed, even though she cared little about her own well being.

Dominic smirked as Vella backed down slightly.

"Now that we all understand."

As if on cue, Delilah walked in the room with two folding metal chairs. She placed one beside Dominic and the other she put beside the first chair and took a seat in it.

Dominic thanked Delilah and took his seat.

"Now that we are comfotable," he said with his hands outstretched, "We can begin."

Vella looked towards Damon, who seemed to be in pain again. She went to bend down to check on him, when Dominic spoke.

"Now that I have some time, I have some questions for you."

Vella looked at him curiously. "For me?"

"Yes, you," he answered, chuckling in amusement.

Vella wanted to ask him why, but she figured he wasn't going to tell her. The best way to find out would be to go along with him as much as she could.

"What do you want to know?"  
Dominic smiled brightly, while at the corner of her eye she could see Delilah looking mischievously again.

"Let's start at the beginning, shall we?"

Vella looked back at Damon again, who seemed to be watching her like a hawk, or was that a crow? she thought.

"I know your name, Vella Evans, now Salvatore. And I know your parents and sister were killed when you were 17, but the information about all that was kind of sketchy." Vella suddenly felt a pit in her stomach. "Can you tell me about that?"

"I don't talk like to talk about it."  
"How dare you defy him!" Delilah shouted, but Dominic put his hand up and she shut her mouth.

Damon reached his hand up and took Vella's hand and squeezed it tightly in support.

Vella looked at Damon with a grateful smile and then turned to face Dominic again. "Fine. I will tell you."

Dominic nodded his head while she told her story, listening intently. Every once in awhile, Vella thought she saw sympathy in his face, but Delilah's face stayed much the same, cold and calculating. She had done her best to tell the story with no tears, which would have been difficult without Damon. But she kept thinking about him and how she needed to stay focused.

"What a sad tale," Dominic said matter of factly. "Now I would like to know how you became a vampire."  
Vella squeezed Damon's hand tightly. She knew she had to be careful how she worded her story so she didn't hurt his feelings. He still felt guilty for turning her, even though she didn't blame him then or now.  
She told the story quickly and left out anything that wasn't important or would upset Damon.

Dominic gave Vella a shrewd look that made her worry. She wasn't lying, but by his look she didn't think he believed her.

"So it's been much like a fairy tale for you two then?"

Vella snorted. "No not exactly. We have had many difficult times but we made it through them together."

Dominic studied Damon's face before speaking. "So you would do anything for him, am I right?"

Vella felt a chill run through her at this question, but it was Damon's muttered, "No," that got her attention.

"As weak as you are and you are still so strong willed," Dominic said almost admiringly. "But it's true, I can see it in her eyes."  
"I wouldn't let her," Damon muttered.

"Somehow I don't think that it's your choice," Dominic said while flashing a toothy smile and once again turning to Vella. "Now tell me that isn't true?"

Vella looked at him and then to Damon. She knew she would give her life for him and there was no way she could pretend otherwise.

"I would do anything for him."

"Well then, now that it's settled. I have more questions for you."

Vella heard the interest in his voice pique and it scared her. Not to mention the look of satisfaction on Delilah's face. Suddenly she felt like a rat in a cage, backed into the corner with nowhere to escape to.

"I don't possibly know what else I could tell you."  
Vella felt that Dominic was studying her again, only this time it seemed different. She knew she was right when he got up from his seat, walking over to her and stopping about two inches in front of her. Instinctively she took a step back, but he reached his arm out and around her, pulling her towards him.

Damon who had still been holding her hand, tried to pull her away from him, but Dominic tugged just hard enough to break his grip.

"Let go of her!" Damon said as strongly as he could.

Dominic narrowed his eyes at him angrily. "If you ever want to leave here with her, I would behave myself."

Damon sighed in resignation, but he didn't stop glaring in his direction.

Vella stayed as still as possible while in Dominic's grasp. She felt trapped, which always made her panic. But she had to remember what Damon always reminded her of, you can control your emotions. So that's what she did.

Dominic smiled at Vella. "Now that we understand each other..." Vella could only nod her head. "I want to know about your mother."

"My mother?"

"Yes."

"What about her?"

Dominic seemed to be losing his patience. He wasn't sure if she was playing stupid or she really had no idea what he was asking. "Do you know what I am?"

"A vampire?"

He chuckled and looked at her deep in her eyes. "I'm not just any vampire, I am one of the original vampires. The ones who were never human."

Shock spread through Vella like lightning. She was now more fightened than ever. She realized how much trouble her and Damon were in.

"What do you want to know?"

"Was your mother a witch?" he asked with impatience.

Vella hesitated before answering. She wasn't sure why this was so important to him, but she couldn't hide the truth from him.

"Yes. And her mother before her and all the way back through the female bloodline as far back as hundreds of years ago."

Dominic smiled at Vella and then she felt something strange. He seemed to be probing her mind and it felt very odd. She tried to keep her eyes off of him, determined to break the link between them, but somehow she couldn't look away. She was bound and determined to keep him out though, so she concentrated on what he was doing.

Sudddenly Vella felt his displeasure as if she could read his mind too. Then she discovered she could sense what he was feeling if she concentrated hard enough. He was angry that she was able to keep things hidden from him without even trying. But now that she was trying he was beyond angry. Like an explosion in her head, he yelled, "Stop that!" But she couldn't. She couldn't let him see her most intimate thoughts and feelings. It was an invasion of her privacy.

Suddenly she felt pain, it wasn't coming from inside her head, it was her body. Dominic had squeezed his hands around Vella's arms so tight, his nails had pierced her skin and she was bleeding. Somehow she kicked him out of her mind and came back to her body.

Vella struggled from Dominic's grip, almost falling backwards. She managed to stay upright though. At the corner of her eye she saw Damon attempt to get up, so she went to his side and held him down.

Dominic's calm demeanor was now broken from his encounter in Vella's mind. He wasn't handsome anymore, now he looked deadly and fierce and he was advancing on Vella and Damon.

Delilah got between Dominic and the lovers before anything happened. She pulled Dominic back and whispered something in his ear, which seemed to calm him down immediately.

As Dominic's face turned back to normal, he turned around and walked to the door with Delilah. Before he walked out, he turned to Vella and said, "I'm sorry we had to do this the hard way, but so be it."

Vella sat beside Damon and held him, afraid. "I'm so sorry Damon. This is all my fault."

"No, don't be silly. It's not your fault."

She looked at him sadly. How could she make him understand it was her fault? She knew what she had seen in her mind.

"It is Damon. It's me they wanted all along. I can't explain. I'm sorry," she said then began to sob.

Damon stroked her hair lightly, trying to calm her down. He had no idea what was going on, but whatever it was terrified him.

"What did he do to you?" he finally asked a few minutes later.

Vella looked at him with red eyes. "He was inside my head. I can't explain it."

Damon pulled her closer and kissed her gently. "I think we better rest. I have a bad feeling about what they have planned for us."  
Vella was sure he was right, so she didn't argue. She cuddled up with Damon, closed her eyes and tried not to worry. 

**A/N: Am I being evil yet? LOL. So now you know who they wanted but you still don't quite know why. I promise you will know next chapter.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44 ~ Motives Revealed 

Vella wasn't sure how long it had been since Dominic had left, but she assumed it had been a few hours. She had tried to rest, but all she could do was worry. She had seen into Dominic's mind, perhaps more than even he had realized and she knew what he was capable of. The one thing she was sure of was that he didn't want to hurt her, but he could care less about Damon, he was just leverage.

She spent her time watching over Damon, trying to keep him asleep. She had seen in his mind, that Dominic had a plan for him, but she hadn't had time to see what it was, but it frightened her immensly. If something happened to Damon... But no, she couldn't even think about that, she wouldn't. She had to try her best to stay positive and think straight, or they might not get out of this.

It wasn't long before Delilah entered the room, with her usual mischievous look on her face. She glared at Vella as she approached them.

"Back away from him."  
Vella glared back at her in defiance. "No."

Delilah smiled in amusement. "You know, just because Dominic is interested in you, doesn't mean I am. If it was up to me I would kill you both. Though I think I would enjoy having my way with him first."

That was it, she couldn't take anymore. Vella stood up quickly, her face changing suddenly and she ran at Delilah. Delilah hadn't been expecting the sudden attack and was thrown off guard, almost falling backwards. Vella took the opportunity to kick her feet out from underneath her, where she fell to the floor with a loud thud. Delilah's face had changed too, but her smile was now gone. She attempted to stand back up but Vella kicked her in the face. This was the moment Vella had wished there was some wood around, but there wasn't and she was sure this was the exact reason. She wasn't about to let that stop her though. She grabbed a hold of Delilah's arm and threw her as hard as she could across the room, where she hit so hard you could feel the vibrations in the walls. She was about to cross the room to continue the attack, when Dominic entered, yelling, "Enough!"

Vella froze on the spot, suddenly afraid to move. But it wasn't just out of fear, it was almost like he was in her mind again making her stop. He approached her with a glare.

"So is this how you repay my hospitality?"

Vella was trying to be defiant, but the look on Dominic's face told her she had better not. But more than that, she could feel him trying to get into her mind again, but she wouldn't allow him to.

"I see things haven't changed with you."

"No, I want you to stay out of my head."

He smiled in amusement, narrowing his eyes. "I'm sorry for what I'm about to do."

Vella didn't have time to think about what he was sorry for, because suddenly there were three vampires who ran into the room and were surrounding Damon. As she turned to try and stop them, Dominic grabbed her arm. "I wouldn't try anything if I were you, or he will be dead before you can blink."

Vella was shaking inside as she watched the vampires drag Damon off. She was fighting off tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes as he disappeared from the room.

"If you do anything to him..." her sentence was cut short by Delilah getting up and standing beside Dominic.

It happened again. She felt the connection Dominic was trying to forge with her mind. She was too frantic to block him completely, so she did her best to hide anything she didn't want him to know.

"Leave us Delilah," he said and then waited for her to leave. She walked to the door, turned around and looked like she was about to protest, but then she just left the room.

"Now that she's gone we can talk."

"I don't know what we have to talk about that you don't already know," she said, her defiance wavering.

Dominic smirked at her. "For someone with no training you are remarkably powerful. But you don't have any idea, do you?"

Vella looked at him confused. "I'm not sure I know what you're talking about."

Dominic looked as if he was about to laugh, but then he got serious. He took his hand and gently put it against her cheek, staring into her eyes. "Your bloodline is full of incredibly powerful witches, but I don't think you really understand what that means."

Vella looked at him confused. "I don't understand what this has to do with me?"

This time he did laugh. "You really are clueless, aren't you?"

Vella felt insulted, but at the same time she had never felt so hopeless and frightened.

Dominic looked at her in amazement. "Let me explain myself." Vella shook her head slightly. "You come from a long line of witches. The power is passed down to each female child, regardless of their willingness to become a witch."

"I already knew that."

"Yes, but you have tried to fight this, haven't you?" Vella shook her head in agreement. "But that doesn't change anything, you are still a witch."

"I am not. I'm a vampire."

"Yes, he said excitedly. "But that's where you are unique. There hasn't been a vampire witch in hundreds, perhaps even thousands of years."

Vella suddenly felt like a trapped animal again. "So I'm unique. Why does that matter to you?"

Dominic took his hand off of her face and looked at her seriously. "For many reasons, but mainly because it makes you dangerous."

"Me, dangerous? You've been in my head, you found what you were looking for. You know I don't care about my powers. I have barely ever used them."

"That's only because you see them as a burden, a curse, but they are neither."

Vella didn't even want to talk about this anymore, but he seemed to know exactly what to say to keep her talking.

"What does any of this matter to you? If I'm so dangerous than why are you encouraging me to use them?"

Dominic stopped and seemed to ponder this for a moment. "That's not exactly what I'm trying to do. I'm telling you that you need to learn how to control them, before they end up controlling you."

Vella was insulted again. "I would never let that happen!"

"Why did you refuse to let your mom teach you?"

"Because I thought it was stupid."

"No, that's not it and you know it."  
"Because I didn't want to be a freak," she replied, her anger and frustartion increasing.

Dominic smirked at her rising anger. He was hoping he could push her into revealing the real reason. "That's not it either."

"I wanted to be normal, was that too much to ask?"

"That's not it either. Are you lying to yourself, or do you really not remember?"

The anger and frustration had built up in Vella so much her face had changed without her realizing it. She turned around to face away from Dominic, she couldn't bare to look at him anymore.

"Why, Vella? Why did you lie to your own mother?"

That was it, her last nerve. "I didn't lie to my mother! How dare you!" She turned to face Dominic who was grinning at her, which only made her angrier. But the problem was, she wasn't just angry with him, she was angry with herself as well. She suddenly flopped herself to the ground, her knees to her chest. She buried her head into her knees and began to sob uncontrollably, her face changing back to normal.

Dominic stood by and waiting for the crying to abate a little, before he squatted down beside her, grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her firmly. "You need to tell someone. It's about time, isn't it?"

The shaking seemed to snap Vella out of her crying fit. She sat there staring at Dominic. "I've never told anyone."

"That's why you need to tell me. You need to get it out before the guilt becomes too much," he said quietly and calmly.

Vella knew he was right, but she was frightened. But not by what he might think of her, by what she would think of herself. She hadn't allowed herself to think about this for so many years, it was like it had never happened. In fact, she had hidden it so well that she had forgotten about it completely. Only when Dominic had found his way into her mind had she began to remember.

"Tell me. I won't judge you."

Vella took a deep breath and tried to steady herself. But before she was able to ready herself, it all came out like a floodgate being opened.

"I was eleven. My mom was busy with my sister, she was just a baby then. I had snuck into my mom's room and grabbed one of her spell books." Vella looked down and took a deep breath. "I went out through my backyard, through the back gate and went out to the woods a block behind our house." Silent tears were falling down Vella's face now, though she hardly noticed. "I don't even remember what the spell was, or if I even knew then. But I read over the words slowly and carefully and then..." Vella stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath and swallowing hard. She mindlessly wiped a tear that had rolled down her cheek before continuing. "All of a sudden there was a huge flash of light and I heard a scream, a blood curdling scream. I ran to where I heard the scream, and there was a little girl lying on the ground." Tears began falling down Vella's face more quickly now.

Dominic looked in Vella's eyes. "It's okay."

It was strange to Vella, but the way he talked seemed to calm her down enough to go on with her story.

"I was so scared, but I ran to the girl. She looked like she was sleeping, but she had blood coming from her nose. I didn't know what to do. I just shook her, trying to get her to get up but she wouldn't. I screamed as loud as I could, hoping someone would come, which they eventually did." Vella paused to wipe tears again. "After I told her mother that I had heard her scream and found her like that, I fetched my mother's spell book and ran home. I never told anyone about what really happened."

Dominic seemed to study her carefully before speaking. "Your mother never found out?"

Vella nodded her head lightly. "I don't think so. If she did, she never said a word to me about it."

"What happened to the little girl?"  
It was the question she dreaded. The one she didn't want to answer. No, she couldn't answer. She shook her head no and bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears. Inside she felt like she was going to get sick.

Dominic repeated his question again, sending more waves of guilt through Vella.

"She never woke up again. She died a few weeks later," she replied through trembling lips.

Dominic pursed his lips as if he was thinking of what to say, but he didn't. Instead he began to pace slowly thinking.

Vella stood there watching him pace, wondering what he was thinking. When he turned to her, it was not what she had expected.

"This is why you cannot deny the power, Vella. You cannot pretend you don't have it, you know you do."

Vella looked at him shocked. in fact, she was beyond shocked, she was flabbergasted.

"I don't understand."

Dominic looked at her and laughed. "You're so cute when you're looking so clueless and innocent."

Vella backed away from him at this. "What?"

He laughed again, flashing a toothy smile, but then he got a serious look on his face. "This is why you are here. Well part of the reason. You need to control your magic. If you don't, one day you might hurt someone you care about."

She looked at him shrewdly this time, only half believing what he was saying. It sounded more like a guilt trip to her. But he was right about one thing, she needed to learn how to use her magic, instead of being afraid of it. Maybe this whole situation could have been handled differently. She wasn't as stupid as she was acting. She recognized alterior motives when she saw them. She decided to play along until she could figure a way out of this mess.

"Do you want to tell me the other reason you are so interested?"

Dominic's eyes seemed to narrow slightly before he answered. "I want you to be part of my clan."

Vella laughed uncomfortably. "Seriously?"

He didn't seem to be joking by the look on his face. He was serious.

"I think you already know the answer to that," she replied with no hesitation.

She expected him to be angry, but he wasn't. He had expected her response, but he also knew how he could change her mind.

"Are you sure you want to be so quick with your decision?"

The way he said it made Vella shudder slightly. "Yes," she said with finality and conviction in her voice.

Dominic sighed and turned his back to her. "Follow me," he said and walked to the door.

Vella watched him stunnned. She had a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she reluctantly followed him out the door.

**A/N: Ok i tried not to leave it as is again, but it's just happening that way lol. Better than one super long chapter, trust me lol.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45 ~ Unleashed

Vella followed Dominic out the door and up a flight of stairs. She now knew why it had been so quiet where she had been, it was like a basement. The room they walked into after they got up the stairs was only slightly bigger than her prison had been. In one corner of the room there was a desk full of papers and a laptop computer, where a young looking vampire was sitting with his back to them.

Dominic stopped as they approached the only door in the room, besides the one they had come through. They had only stopped for a few seconds when Delilah came walking through the door smiling again, only this time it looked more mischievous than ever. She glared at Vella, who glared back with her mouth twitching just slightly into a smile. Vella couldn't help herself.

"Is it time?" Dominic asked Delilah, who responded with a shake of her head.

Vella suddenly felt a chill run through her. She wasn't sure if it was the look on Delilah's face or the lack of emotion in Dominic's voice, but it seemed ominous.

Dominic turned to Vella looking seriously. "If this doesn't convince you, nothing will," he said and grabbed a hold of her wrist.

Vella's first instinct was to pull away, but she didn't. She knew she had to do what he said for now, so she allowed him to pull her through the door, down a hallway and into a large room. But they didn't stop there. He pulled her a little farther into the room and turned to the right where another door was, with two vampire guards standing on either side of it.

Panic was now overpowering Vella. She felt sick to her stomach and she couldn't breathe. It took all her willpower to not just drop on the floor right now and cry, but that's exactly how she felt. Besides staying brave so she could get out of this mess, she couldn't give Delilah the satisfaction of knowing how terrified she was.

Dominic nodded his head and the vampire guards moved aside slightly. He pulled Vella through the door with him, Delilah following just behind.

They were now in a very high ceilinged room with an echo. Vella imagined it must be a very large room. They walked down what seemed like a narrow hallway, until they got to the end and Vella saw the stairs running parallel to what she thought was a hallway. As Dominic lead her to the stairs, she realized where she was, it was an indoor stadium.

Vella's heart suddenly sank as she realized what was going on. She attempted to pull away from Dominic's grip but he held on firmly. As he pulled her up the stairs, Delilah whispered in her ear, "Please give me a reason to hurt you." Vella just ignored her.

They stopped when they were only a few seats up and then they walked through the seats until they were at the next aisle, where they continued walking, only down this time until they were closer to the bottom, near the arena.

Vella was made to sit between Dominic and Delilah, which she could have done without. It just made her panic more. She was looking at the staging area dreading what might happen. And as more and more vampires came in to sit down, the more she panicked.

It was about ten minutes later when Dominic stood up and yelled for everyone to be quiet.

Vella began to visibly shake as she watched two vampires being pushed into the arena. She didn't recognize either of the vampires, but she now knew why she was here and she didn't think she could handle it.

It almost seemed like a dream to Vella, when Dominic announced the punishment for the two vampires in the arena. Both had defied the clan and they had to fight to the death, or both would be executed. But the last word "executed" was the one that snapped her out of her near dream, spreading fear to every part of her body. From the tips of her fingers to the tips of her toes, the horrific feeling of fear spread through her, making her feel achy like when she would get the flu when she was human. She wasn't sure if they were going to throw her in the arena, but she was positive that she would see Damon there, the thought made her breath catch in her throat and her heart beat wildly.

Vella watched as the two vampires fought with each other. First they seemed to be reluctant, but then they became enraged and it all became a blur. They were punching, kicking, clawing, throwing and even biting each other. It all seemed to be so primitive and savage. The fight was over when the shorter vampire managed to rip the other vampire's head off, killing him instantly.

It wasn't like Vella hadn't seen anything so brutal before, she'd fought for her life a few times herself. But it seemed so needless and gruesome.

She was barely aware of the cheers and whistling from the vampires around her, it all seemed so surreal. But she did catch what Delilah said. "That's what happens to vampires who defy Dominic."

The fear was still holding Vella like a hostage, but Delilah's comment sent anger running through her veins and it was vying for dominance of her emotions. She knew the anger would probably be more helpful, but the cold grip of fear didn't want to release its grasp on her.

Vella sat stiffly against the back of her chair and watched as two vampires dragged the victorious vampire out of the arena and four more vampires dragged two female vampires in. Dominic announced their crime, 'sharing their blood with someone other than their mate for sexual gratification,' which seemed like an odd punishment to her, but she didn't really have time to think about it before the two females were attacking each other furiously.

The fight didn't last long, at least not as long as the first fight did. It ended after someone had thrown some stakes into the arena and one of the females just happened to be quicker and had better aim. The loser fell and was dead before she hit the ground.

Vella thought it was over, but then she noticed one male vampire had stepped into the arena to confront the winner. And even though her ears worked just as well as the other vampires, there was just too much yelling and other noises around her to hear what was going on in the arena. What she could see though, was the male vampire talking to the female and she was crying and what looked like begging and then the male staked her through the heart so quickly, by the time Vella realized that was what he had done, she was already dead.

Dominic leaned forward in his seat, looking at Delilah. "I guess Brutus is not the forgiving type."

Delilah smiled mischeiviously at Dominic and chuckled. "Well now that he is alone maybe I will have to console him."

Dominic laughed and narrowed his eyes at her. "Wasn't it you who turned those two in?"

Delilah laughed maniacally. "Of course. I couldn't let them break your rules master."

Dominic nodded in agreement and turned his attention to the arena once again, while Vella, who felt sickened by the conversation, tried to pretend she hadn't heard. She had noticed Delilah smirking at her in the corner of her eyes.

Vella sat and looked straight ahead, trying to ignore Delilah, who seemed to be restless in her seat. She imagined that couldn't be a good sign. When Dominic stood up, she saw what was so interesting, two vampires were dragging Damon into the arena.

Vella felt a lump in her throat and her stomach suddenly felt sick. Tears were threatening to spill from her eyes as she grabbed a hold of Dominic's wrist, glaring at him. "You can't do this, please," she begged.  
Dominic looked at her sadly. "I'm sorry Vella, I warned you."

"But you can't do this to him, please! Put me in there instead."

Dominic chuckled slightly and she heard Delilah laughing in amusement. "You are the one I want Vella. He is just trouble. If this is what I have to do to convince you to join me, than so be it."

Vella glared at him as angrily as she could muster. "And what if you kill him and I still refuse?"

He looked at her as if searching for his answer, then replied rather coldly. "Then you will suffer the same fate."

Vella shuddered, but it wasn't for herself, it was for Damon. She felt helpless and there was nothing she could do now. But she refused not to at least try. She waited until they seemed to not be paying attention, hopped over the empty seat in front of her and dashed towards the arena. There were vampire guards all around the arena, but she didn't care. She just wanted to get as close as she could. It took three vampires to hold her still, but Dominic told them step aside, but not let her in the arena. She knew he wanted her to watch as close up as she could and she wouldn't have it any other way.

"Damon!" she yelled as Dominic was trying to quiet the crowd.

Damon looked at her with loving eyes. She could see in those same beautiful eyes that he had resigned himself to his death already. All she could do was shake her head and say, "No," over and over again.

She watched as he mouthed, "I love you forever Vella," tears raining down her face while she yelled, "I love you forever Damon!"

The crowd was now laughing in unison, taking pleasure in the couples pain. But Vella didn't care about that, all she cared about was Damon. She wasn't paying attention when Dominic announced that Damon was being punished for being a threat to the clan. But she did see the vampire who was pushed into the arena to fight him, he was much bigger than Damon.

Vella's heart sank as the other vampire ran at Damon. She wasn't sure if he was strong enough to beat him, but at least he looked better than he had the whole time he had been here.

She couldn't bare to watch, so she turned around, which was the wrong thing to do. The crowd were on their feet like they had for the rest of the fights, but this was different, this was Damon and it wasn't right. Dominic wasn't watching however, he was watching her with a curious look. It didn't anger her though, that came from the look on Delilah's face.

Vella bit her lip and turned around to watch. So far Damon was doing well, but she sensed by the electricity in the crowd that that was about to change.

She noticed it at the corner of her eye. Someone had thrown one stake into the arena near the other vampire. And then everything seemed to run in slow motion. The vampire picked up the stake while Vella yelled a warning out to Damon as loud as she could. She turned quickly around to see that Dominic was nowhere to be seen. But Vella was too worried to think about what that might mean.

She felt it suddenly build inside her. It was a product of her concern, worry and anger and it was flowing through her. It was magic. Not the simple stuff she had done in the past, but something strong, powerful and raw. Raw energy that was ebbing and flowing through her, just as her own blood does.

Vella stopped for a split second, but decided it was too late to think. She closed her eyes to feel the power within her. It was an amazing feeling. She had finally found her reason to unleash it, fear for the man she loved the most in the world.

Once she thought she had a handle on the power, she opened her eyes, glared at the vampire who was trying to kill Damon and unleashed her new found power upon him.

The vampire fell to the ground suddenly, clutching at his head and screaming in pain. Damon had stopped to look at Vella, but only long enough to realize what was happening. He took the opportunity to grab the stake the vampire had dropped and plunged it into his heart.

Relieved that Damon was okay for now, Vella turned around. There were shocked looks upon the faces in the crowd, which for some reason, pleased Vella enough to smile evilly. Her only concern right now was Delilah, who had stood up from where she was sitting and was watching Vella, yelling something that was unintelligible.

The guards beside Vella tried to grab a hold of her, but Vella concentrated and suddenly they were on fire. The fire was so intense and powerful, they were ashes within seconds.

Now the crowd was in panic mode. Vampires were yelling, jumping over seats and tripping over each other to get away. All the while, Vella had her eyes on Delilah.

Delilah looked slightly frightened but she tried to mask it with a sneer. Vella just stood on the spot glaring at her, daring her to attack, but she didn't move. So Vella took it upon herself to begin walking towards her instead.

Delilah looked as if she was going to leave, but instead she stayed where she was. Either too afraid, or too stupid to move. Vella just smiled evilly and kept approaching her.

The rage and fear had built up so far that Vella couldn't see anything but her target, Delilah. Killing her with magic wasn't going to be enough for her though, she wanted to rip her apart with her bare hands. She didn't have to try too hard because Delilah hopped over a seat, ran to the aisle and ran at her full speed.

There wasn't much time to think, but Vella sent a burst of magic flying to all sides of her, making sure no one near would interfere with the fight. But while she did that, it gave Delilah a split second to smack her across the face.

Vella felt the sting of her hit and the warmth of her own blood flow from her nose. The pain was nothing but a catalyst for her anger. She balled her hand into a fist and as fast as she could she connected with Delilah's chest, which sent her stumbling back a few steps.

Delilah's face looked even more furious now, if that was possible. She tried to run at Vella but she suddenly found she couldn't move. She glared angrily at Vella, who had a deadly smile on her face and was now laughing at her.

Vella was enjoying the look of anger and frustration on Delilah's face, perhaps a little too much. She wanted to torture her though. She walked up to her slowly and stood beside her and smiled. And when it became too much to control anymore, she dashed at her, sinking her fangs deeply into Delilah's milky white throat. She didn't feed so much as she tore her throat out, like a lion tearing the throat out of a zebra who had been too slow. When she was finished, she threw her body to the ground, smiling a toothy smile full of blood, which was also running down her chin.

Delilah struggled to move, but she had literally had the life sucked from her. Vella stood over her for a few seconds, before she used her magic to summon a wooden stake. She stood there with the stake, staring into her eyes, watching the fear flashing within them and finding pleasure in it. She felt like she had the night she killed the men who wanted to rape her. Primal and full of raw fury. Like the predator she was. It would have scared her before, in fact it had in the past, but no longer. She now realized there was a time and a place for it, like at this exact moment. She smiled and laughed evilly one more time, then thrust the stake through Delilah's heart, who convulsed a few times and then lay still.

Vella was able to focus on something else now that the immediate danger was gone. She let out a few deep breaths, not realizing that she had been holding her breath in. She surveyed the arena, but no one seemed to be left. She turned around slowly to see Damon leaning heavily up against the sides of the arena. With no thought to anything or anyone else, Vella ran to the arena wall and leaped over it, landing gracefully beside Damon.

Damon let go of the wall and threw his arms around Vella, silent tears running down his face. "I love you," he whispered.

Vella smiled as she held Damon, happy and relieved tears streaming from her eyes. "I love you too," she whispered. But she had no time to enjoy the moment, she needed to get them out of here. Without a second though, she forced Damon's mouth to her exposed throat and forced him to bite.

Damon wanted to refuse, but he was too weak to. He only took a slight amount of blood however, not wanting to weaken Vella too much. He knew she was the one who could get them out of this.

Vella made sure Damon was strong enough, then she helped him over the arena wall and up the aisle to the door she had entered through earlier. But something stopped her from going any farther, Dominic.

"We need to talk," he said calmly.

**A/N: I know, another cliffhanger, but I swear it will be pretty much resolved next chapter lol. So did you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it?**

**Thanks for reading!**


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46 ~ Tenative Agreement 

Vella stopped and studied Dominic's face for any hint of trickery, but he seemed genuine. She was supporting Damon with her left arm, he was leaning heavily against her now, clearly exhausted. But that didn't keep him from looking threateningly at Dominic.

"I'm not sure what you think we have to talk about," she replied flatly. "But me and Damon are getting out of here." She paused then added, "With or without your consent."

Dominic stood quiet for a few seconds pondering. "Just follow me," he said. "We can go and talk somewhere."

Vella shook her head. "You must be mistaking my hesitation for compliance and acceptance Dominic."

He laughed dryly. "Actually I'm not."

"Then we have nothing to discuss."

Dominic shook his head this time. "I'm afraid we do Vella. I can't let you leave here like this."

Vella laughed slightly in amusement. "Do you think you can stop me?"

He seemed to hesitate but his voice said he was confident. "If I need to, yes."

Vella was about to say something, when Damon interrupted. "We will talk to you, but not here."

Dominic smiled, obviously pleased. "Where should we go then?"

"Bring us back to our hotel room and we'll talk," Damon replied.

Dominic pursed his lips, looking back and forth from Damon to Vella. He sighed and then shook his head. "Fine. Follow me."

Dominic went to turn around, but Vella stopped him, glaring a warning. "If you try something, I won't hesitate to destroy every vampire around me."

He pursed his lips again and shook his head, turning around and walking down the long hallway to the doorway out of the stadium.

Vella leaned her head against Damon's, kissed his forehead and tightened her grip on him. As she was about to walk forward, he hesitated.

"What's wrong?"

Damon wanted to smile happily about the kiss, but he just couldn't force himself to be anything but serious. "Listen Vella." But she interrupted him. "Damon."

Damon sighed deeply and shook his head, "Will you just listen to me for once, please?"

Vella was about to object, but her love for him kept her quiet.

"If it comes down to leaving me behind to save yourself, do it, please." Vella opened her mouth to disagree but he talked over her. "I mean it. If you love me as much as you say you do, you will do this for me."

Vella looked at him with tears threatening to spill. It was an unfair thing to ask of her. She loved him with everything she had and she couldn't live without him. She shook her head in disbelief. "No, I can't promise you that."

Damon wanted to argue with her, make her see that he was right, but his heart was just as heavy as hers. He knew he couldn't live without her and it was unfair to ask that of her. He gave her a resigned look and didn't say anything else.

Vella smiled just slightly and whispered, "I love you too," tightening her grip on him again and walking towards the stadium exit with Damon leaning on her.

As they walked over the threshhold, the sun from the windows began to burn both Vella and Damon. She quickly dragged herself and him back through the door, Dominic following behind them.

"Get my necklace and his ring right now Dominic!" Vella ordered.

Dominic looked like he was about to reject, but he didn't. He reached into his pocket and pulled out Damon's ring and handed it to him reluctantly. Then he looked at Vella with an almost frightened look on his face. "I don't have your necklace."

Vella looked at him enraged. "What do you mean you don't have it?"

Dominic backed up a step, until he was against the door. "Delilah had taken it. I'm not sure where it is."

Vella closed her eyes, trying to get a handle on her rage before it got out of control. She knew it was stupid, she could just as easily get another necklace but that one was special to her. She opened her eyes, refusing to give up. She helped Damon down on the floor and asked him to wait a moment as she dashed off back into the stadium area. She ran over to Delilah's lifeless body, looking at it with disgust. She reached down to check her pockets but there was nothing. On a hunch, she reached her hand to her neck, pulling down her shirt, which revealed a chain Vella instantly recognized. Without a second thought, she unclasped the necklace from around Delilah's neck, put it around her own neck and clasped it. Holding the pendant in her hand, she looked at it for a few moments, before running back to where Damon and Dominic were. "Let's go."

The three of them walked through the door and out into the large room. Vella hadn't noticed when she had been dragged in here before, that there was another door on the opposite side of the room and it lead outside. There didn't seem to be any sign of vampires or anyone else in the vicinity. Dominic lead them to the door and the three of them walked outside.

Vella breathed the fresh air deeply, enjoying the smell, taste and feel of it. She could feel Damon doing the very same thing. They followed Dominic around the east side of the building to a laneway where a black limo was parked.

He looked at them, pursing his lips again. "Get in and I will take you to your hotel."

Vella looked at him threateningly. "If you try anything I will kill you without hesitation."

Dominic looked at her almost proudly, then frowned slightly. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

Vella helped Damon into the car first, getting in after. Dominic was about to climb in the front when Vella told him to sit in the back, which he reluctantly did.

"I was trying to give you privacy," he said after he sat down.

Vella laughed sarcastically. "You must think I'm really stupid."

Damon chuckled slightly and laid his head on Vella's lap. His head was aching and he was extremely exhausted. He thought he might sleep for a few days when they were out of this mess.

Vella kept her arm around Damon as they drove to their hotel. It was a long ride. Dominic's clan lived far away from Venice. But the drive was completely uneventful. When they arrived at the hotel, Dominic got out first, then Vella who helped Damon out.

Vella was pleased to find that their bill had been covered while they had been away and when they walked into their room they found their stuff was exactly as they left it.

Vella helped Damon on to the couch and sat down beside him, leaving Dominic to sit on a chair across from them.

"Are you going to tell me what you want now?" Vella asked very impatiently.

Dominic looked at her, trying to look apologetic, but Vella wasn't buying it.

"You're much more powerful than I first realized," he said with a note of pride.

"I don't care about that," she said shortly. "Get to the point so you can get the hell out of here!"

"Fine," he said, sounding defeated. "Just let me finish before you interrupt?"

Vella looked at him incredulously. "How dare you ask anything of me!"

He sighed deeply, trying to carefully choose his words. "I know you don't want to be a part of my clan here, but I was hoping you would change your mind." Vella glared at him but didn't interrupt. "You are aware there are people who know about us and that our existence needs to be kept a secret." Vella rolled her eyes. "We need someone in the United States who can, deal, with problem vampires."

"So you want me to do your dirty work for you? Is that what you're asking?"

Dominic shook his head. "No, not exactly. This isn't just for me, its for all vampires. There are those who blatantly kill and leave clear evidence of what they are and they need to be taken care of. Especially in this day and age of the World Wide Web."

Vella looked at Damon, contemplating this information. She could tell by the look on Damon's face that he wasn't going to help with her decision.

It's not like we don't already do that in Mystic Falls. How much different could it be? she thought to herself, trying to make a decision.

"And what about Damon?"

Dominic looked at her shrewdly for a minute, thinking. "That's up to him. I won't object if he wants to help you."

Vella glanced over at Damon to see his reaction. He was trying to keep all emotion off of his face and at this moment she hated him for it. She was completely alone in this decision.

Frustrated, she got up from the couch and walked to the patio door and stared out the window.

It was a beautiful sight. Just as beautiful as she remembered. It made it more difficult for her to concentrate, instead of helping her. She turned around to face Dominic again, obvious frustration on her face. She sighed deeply. "I will do it, but I have conditions."

Dominic seemed to be pleased. "Of course."

Vella looked at Damon, but he was still emotionless. She had a feeling there would be hell to pay from him later, but he did say it was her decision. She looked back at Dominic. "First of all, I want you to know why I'm doing this. He nodded slightly. "I'm doing this to protect our secret, but mainly to protect people from these rogue vampires," she paused as she began to pace slightly. "As for the conditions... I don't want any visitors from your clan. In fact, no real contact whatsoever. I will give you my cell number. You call me only when you have information, that's it. Not for social calls, not to check in or even for updates." Dominic was listening intently with little emotion. "I will call you if and when I take care of a problem."

"Is that all?" he asked curiously.

"No. I will not be questioned about what I do or don't do. Whatever happens, happens. And if you can't accept that... well tough."

"In other words, you will take care of it your way or no way?"

Vella laughed dryly. "That's exactly what I mean. Can you live with that?" She chuckled at her pun.

Dominic seemed to be thinking. He was trying not to seem eager to accept her terms, which he was. "I can live with those terms."

Vella nodded. "I have one more though."

"What's that?"

Vella looked at him, a smile curling on her lips. "Get the hell out of here right now and I don't want to see you or any of your clan the rest of the time we are here in Italy."

Dominic opened his mouth, then closed it promptly. He wasn't about to argue. He stood up, nodded his head silently and began walking towards the door.

"Wait."

He turned around and Vella threw him a folded up piece of paper. He took it, put it in his pocket and left the room without another word.

After he left Vella felt completely exhausted. She slumped on to the couch beside Damon, put his hand into hers and laid her head against his side.

"How are you feeling Damon?"

Damon had his eyes closed, but opened them to look at her. "I'm fine now."

Vella looked at him with concern in her eyes. "Then stop being so stubborn now."

"Huh?"

Vella chuckled lightly and kissed him on the cheek. "I know you're in a lot of pain and exhausted so you can stop pretending now."

Damon stroked the hair off of her face and smiled. "I just need a good sleep... and some food."

"Well I can help you with that," she said while smiling. She began to kiss his neck, working her way to his lips and then brushing the hair off her neck, she offered her bare neck up to his soft lips.

Damon didn't need any coaxing, he gladly took the invitation, sinking his long, sharp fangs into her neck and began to drink her delicious essence. He drank enough to feel better, knowing she would need her strength as well. It didn't help as much as drinking human blood, but to him it tasted way better.

Vella turned to him when he finished with a grimace on her face. "Now that you're feeling better, we need some real food."

Damon smiled at her lovingly. It wasn't exactly what he had in mind. It was only hours ago he had been afraid of never seeing her again and the pain was only very slowly ebbing away. He wanted to show her how much he loved her and he couldn't wait. He cupped his hand and gently put it on her cheek, staring into her eyes. "I love you, Vella. You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

Vella smiled and one happy tear rolled down from one of her eyes. Damon gently wiped it with his thumb as Vella leaned in and kissed made love for a long while, neither wanting to rush. Eventually falling asleep in each other's arms.

Damon woke up, looking around cautiously at first, before remembering where he was. He smiled at Vella and stroked her hair before getting out of bed carefully. Standing beside the bed, he watched her for a few minutes before jumping in the shower.

After a long shower, he got dressed and went to sit on the patio. He sat for a long time just looking at the activity in the town, thinking. It was still dark, so there wasn't much going on to distract him from his thoughts or his anger. He was strong enough to be angry now. Angry at everything that had happened and angry at himself for not being able to protect Vella. He was silently ashamed that she had saved him, instead of the other way around. He knew he was being silly, but he couldn't help it, that's who he was. But there was more to it. He was angry that after all that had happened, she had accepted Dominic's proposal. It bothered him so much, he knew he was going to have to confront her about it, or it might get the best of him. He couldn't have anything ruin his time with her.

As the sun rose, he left the hotel room to get a newspaper. He wasn't really interested in the news, he just wanted to know what day it was. He figured asking someone might be suspicious, so the newspaper would be his best option. Before he made it back to the hotel, he ran into a man who appeared to be a street person. Damon couldn't resist his hunger any longer. He fed from the man, only taking enough to satiate him and then compelled the man.

When Damon got back to the hotel room, he could hear that Vella was in the shower. He went out to the patio, sat down and unfolded the newspaper and read the date. He nearly dropped the paper in surprise, but Vella had appeared behind him and caught it.

"What's wrong?" she asked, scared by the look of shock on his face.

Damon looked at her with the same shocked expression as he spoke. "I wanted to know what day it was, so I went and got a newspaper."

"And?"

He put his hand on hers. "Look for yourself."

Vella hesitantly lifted the paper up to her face, looking for the date. She read the date, but her face didn't change at first. But suddenly she was angrily ripping the newspaper up into little pieces, breathing raggedly. "This can't be!" she shrieked.

Damon stood up, wrapping his arms around her tightly to keep her calm. She banged her fists on his back a couple of times, then slowly calmed down as Damon stroked her hair and whispered quietly in her ear.

"Two weeks. How the hell did that happen?" she wondered.

Damon shook his head. "I don't know, but I think I better get a hold of Stefan."

"Ok, hold on," she said as she ran frantically into the bedroom. She came back out with her cell phone in her hand. "I had left it on the charger with the ringer off." She turned it on and looked through it. There were more than several calls and text messages from Stefan.

"I think you better call him right now."

While Damon called Stefan, Vella ran around the hotel room packing their stuff. She didn't care how, but she was flying home today no matter what she had to do.

It didn't take her long to finish packing and then she was left with her rage and no outlet for it. Damon was still on the phone. She was hungry on top of it, which didn't help matters any. She tried breathing in and out slowly to calm herself, but that wasn't enough. She could hear Damon was still explaining things to Stefan, so she left the room to go for a walk. It was a short walk though. As she walked out, one of the hotel staff were in the hallway. All she could think about was tearing his throat out. She took a few deep breaths and went back in her room and slumped on to a chair.

Damon heard the door slam and came to see what was going on. He found Vella sitting on a chair with her head in her hands, shaking slightly. He walked up to her, facing her, squatted down to her level and put his hands on her legs. "What's wrong?"

Vella took her hands off her face slowly to look at him, smiling just slightly. "I'm just angry, frustrated and really, really hungry."

"That's it?" he asked with a smirk.

Vella pursed her lips pretending to be offended and slapped one of his hands. "Yeah," she said then laughed slightly. "If you weren't so good at calming me down I would say you drive me crazy."

Damon smirked and then laughed, getting up and holding her. "Let me get you something."

Vella was about to ask what, when he ran out the door of their room. She shrugged and chuckled and went to the courtesy bar to see if there was something to drink. She found a bottle of scotch and even though she wasn't fond of it, she drank a glass any way. As the warmth of the alcohol filled her with a pleasant feeling, Damon came back to the room.

"Here," he said and handed her a paper bag.

Vella raised her eyebrows suspiciously. "What's this?"

Damon sighed and rolled his eyes. "Just open it."

Vella opened the paper bag and found a bag of blood inside.

"I know you aren't fond of it, but it's better than nothing."

Vella hugged him tightly, laughing. "I know this is going to sound like some cheesy romantic movie, but it's the best gift ever."

Damon laughed and kissed her, then pushed her away. "The sooner you finish that, the sooner we can catch a plane home."

Vella smiled and drank the blood down as quickly as she could. Then the two of them grabbed their bags and caught a taxi to the airport. There were no flight available right away, but Damon compelled the receptionist to get them on a flight.

Normally Vella would have been upset, but she had had enough of Italy for a lifetime. She wanted out as fast as was possible and didn't care how. It was less than an hour and they were on a flight headed home.

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this posted. Might be a few before I post another. I have ideas but I have to decide which to go with.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47 ~ No Rest for the Wicked

The flight home was quiet and uneventful.

But even though that was what Vella had wanted, something was nagging at her. Damon had been way too quiet the entire flight. He didn't even seem to be paying attention when she would speak to him. It gave her a very bad feeling, but somehow she just knew she shouldn't badger him until they were somewhere more private.

After they landed in Atlanta, after a twelve hour flight, Vella convinced Damon to get a hotel for the night. It was a long drive home and she didn't feel up to it. With all that had gone on in the past two weeks, she just wanted some time to relax.

When they finally settled in their hotel room, Vella ambushed him.

"So what are you keeping from me Damon?" she asked with her hands on her hips.

Damon looked at her innocently. "What are you talking about?"

Vella sighed loudly and walked up to Damon, stopping only inches away from him. "You know what I'm talking about. Don't play stupid because it doesn't suit you."

Damon looked at her shrewdly. "Did you ever think that if I was keeping something from you, there might be a good reason?"

It happened so quickly that Damon didn't stand a chance. Suddenly he was crouched over with his head in his hands groaning in pain. It didn't last long, but long enough to leave an impression.

Once he was able to gather his thoughts, he looked at Vella angrily. "What the hell did you do that for?"

Vella returned the angry look. "Should I pretend I didn't enjoy that?" she asked, breathing heavily.

Damon narrowed his eyes at her. He was hoping she would give up, but he knew she was too stubborn. He held his glare though, until she broke the gaze.

Vella turned around and left the room, walking into the bathroom. She locked the door, turned on the water and began splashing water on her face.

She was angry with herself for losing her self control. The whole reason she had denied magic for so long was because of it and now she had hurt Damon. As the tears began to flow, she splashed more water on her face. But it didn't help much. Before she realized it, Damon had unlocked the door and was behind her with his arms around her.

"I'm sorry Vella," he said apologetically.

Vella loosened his grip so she could turn around to face him. "What are you sorry for? I was the one who hurt you."

Damon grinned. "I deserved it though."

Vella looked at him questioningly, shaking her head in disbelief. "Since when are you such a masochist?"

Damon grinned again. "Since I married you."

Vella looked at him in shock for a moment, then smacked his arm hard. She knew he was joking and it was funny, but for some reason she couldn't laugh.

Damon put his hands on the side of her face so he could stare right into her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Vella knew he was sorry, but it didn't make her any less angry. But standing this close to him, she couldn't deny her feelings. She held his hands, pulling him closer and kissed him lightly.

Damon took his hands off of her face, wrapping them around her. But then he pulled away slightly. "I'm not going to use your moment of weakness against you."

Vella smiled, wrapping her arms around him, laying her head on his chest. She stood there for a minute or two, until she was ready to talk to him.

"Can we get out of the bathroom? I'm feeling claustrophic."

Damon laughed and picked her up gracefully, running into the livingroom and setting her down gently on the couch. He slid down to sit beside her and pulled her close to him, so her head was laying on his chest.

"I didn't intentionally keep this from you. I was asked by Stefan not to tell you until we got home."

Vella lifted her head and pulled away form him. "What?"

Damon sighed loudly. "Yeah, I know. Since when do I listen to my brother?" It was a rhetorical question. "But I wanted to give you some peace after what we had been through."

"And what about your peace?"

Damon smirked at her. "I'm tough."

Vella felt challenged again, but she didn't take the bait. He was trying to distract her for as long as he could and she wasn't going to let him get away with it.

"Just spill the damn beans, will ya?"

Damon looked at her sadly. "All I need is two words. It's Tyler."

Vella's heart sank. She had totally forgotten about Tyler. Now she understood why Stefan didn't want her to know right away and why Damon would have gone along with it.

She smiled at Damon and laid back against his chest, letting his comforting arms hold her securely. "I love you too," she whispered.

Damon smiled but kept silent and before long the two of them fell asleep on the couch, exhausted from their long plane ride.

Vella and Damon woke up several hours later, it was dark outside. They decided to find some food, before coming back to the hotel room and enjoying their last night of complete privacy.

They left late the next morning for their drive home to Mystic Falls. Damon drove faster than he should have but he was in a hurry to get home. Vella wasn't. She was dreading going home and having to deal with Tyler again.

It was late evening when they pulled up to the boarding house. The sun was just dropping below the horizon, the trees casting dark shadows.

Vella began to help Damon with their luggage, when he told her he had it handled. She sighed and let him take care of it, just wanting to go into their room and flop on the bed. But when she walked in, Stefan was waiting for them, but he wasn't alone. Elena, Bonnie, Alaric, Jeremy and Matt were all there.

Vella looked around at them all with a look of shock. "What's going on?"

Stefan walked up to her, speaking quietly. "What did Damon tell you?"

She narrowed her eyes. "He told me there was a problem with Tyler."

"That's an understatment," snorted Matt.

Vella looked at Stefan confused. "Is it worse than before?"

The looks on everyone in the room was enough to tell her it was. She was afraid of how bad it exactly was, but she was also angry at Damon for not explaining more to her when he had the chance. Vella hated being unprepared.

Damon came in with the luggage and put it away in their room, before joining everyone in the livingroom. Vella was standing with her arms crossed now, clearly angry at him. He came to stand beside her and whispered in her ear. "I just wanted us to have one last day together without all this worry."

Vella couldn't stay angry at him, even though she was. She needed to catch up on what had been happening. It had been a month since they had been home and by the looks of everyone in attendance, there were a lot of new developments.

Vella had a hard time wrapping her head around everything. Matt and Jeremy now both knew about vampires and didn't seem to have a problem with it. She figured with Tyler being a psychotic werewolf, vampires were the least of their worries. Her mind began to wander while Stefan was explaining what had happened with Tyler, so much so she didn't even hear her name being called.

"Vella are you okay?" Damon asked with concern.

Vella looked at him confused. "Huh? Oh, sorry."

Damon put his hands on her shoulders supportively. "Maybe this is too much for you tonight," he said. It wasn't a question.

Vella shrugged his hands off angrily. "Sorry I was, um, just concentrating on something else right now. I'm fine." She gave Damon a dirty look. "I'm not some delicate flower you know."

Damon sighed but didn't say another word.

Stefan repeated what Vella had missed and then she excused herself from the room. She went upstairs into the bedroom and flopped on the bed, letting out a huge long sigh. It was nice to be back in her own bed.

Damon came up to the bedroom a few minutes later. "What's going on with you?"

Vella looked at him with a frown on her face. "I'm sorry, I am having a huge problem controlling myself. My anger, the magic, it seems to have a mind of it's own."

Damon laid on the bed beside her and began playing with her hair. It was something Vella enjoyed and it helped her relax. It wasn't long before she was calm.

"Thank you Damon. You always know what I need."

Damon grinned playfully. "I know I'm good."

Vella laughed and shook her head. "What am I going to do with you?"

"I can think of something," he replied with a smirk.

"You mean lock you up for being so naughty?"

Damon laughed and pulled her towards him, placing his lips on hers. She eagerly kissed him back, wanting him so badly. They made love for a short time, then jumped in the shower together and then went out to hunt.

While they were out, Vella had to check on the moon phase. It was clearly past the first quarter phase and into the waxing gibbous phase. By the looks of it, it could be a full moon in just over a week. She knew they needed a plan to deal with Tyler, sooner rather than later.

When Vella and Damon got home, they went straight to sleep. And when they woke up, they discussed plans with Stefan. No one could really come up with a plan, not knowing what Tyler would do. But they needed to protect the town. That was the most important thing.

During the week before the full moon, Damon had met with the Founder's council several times. They were concerned about the attacks that had been happening. And they were more concerned because they knew it wasn't the work of vampires, which they thought they knew how to take care of. But whatever it was they weren't prepared for it. Damon didn't add anything to any of the conversations, but he did keep an eye on the Mayor, who seemed to be less than enthusiastic to find out what was going on.

The Mayor was a complication they didn't need. If he knew that Tyler had finally become the monster he had once tried to prevent, who knew what could happen. But the three Salvatores had to be extremely careful not to get caught in the middle while still protecting the town. That was going to be the most difficult part.

Vella wasn't really worried about herself. If the council found out she could do magic now, it wouldn't be a shock to them. But she couldn't risk them finding about about Damon and Stefan. But it was more than that. She was angry with everyone who was involved as well. She didn't want them in the way, they were a dangerous and needless distraction. If she had her way, she would make sure none of them could get in the way and she knew Damon felt the same way. But both of them knew that they would do what they wanted to and they needed to prepare for it.

Vella had been keeping herself scarce in town since she had returned from the honeymoon. She was afraid that if she ran into Tyler, something would happen. But today it was going to be unavoidable. Later that night it would be a full moon and she had a meeting to go to. Somehow they had all decided to meet at The Grill instead of meeting at the boarding house like usual. She had no clue why, but she thought it was a stupid idea.

When Vella walked into The Grill, she immediately saw Damon sitting at the bar drinking. She sighed and sat down beside him. "Don't you think you should stay sober today?"

Damon narrowed his eyes at her. "So what I hear about marriage is true huh? The wife starts to nag as soon as the ring is on her finger," he said sarcastically.

Vella glared daggers at him, even though she saw the smile beginning to form on his lips. She knew he was only kidding but she didn't have a sense of humor at the moment. She sighed in frustration and looked around the room. She spotted Alaric sitting alone in a booth so she left to sit with him.

"Good afternoon, Vella," he greeted her as she sat down across from him.

"I wish there was something good about it."

"Wow, I've never seen you so down in the dumps," he said as he put his hand on hers in support.

Vella smiled slightly and pulled her hand out from his. "I know you mean well, but Damon would love an excuse to throttle you."

Alaric laughed. "Very true."

"So where is everyone else? And why did we have to meet here?"

"What? No one told you?"

"Told me what?" she asked in surprise.

Alaric sighed. "The council has been watching the boarding house. Or at least someone in the council has."

"Someone? You think the mayor?"

"Well that's what we figure."

Vella looked at him frowning. "And I wasn't told this because?"

Alaric looked away from her for a second.

"Oh let me guess, this is all about me? They council, or the Mayor thinks I have something to do with what's going on?"

He sighed again. "We don't know but that's what we're assuming."

Vella's eyes went unfocused for a moment. She was trying to curb her anger and frustration. Unintentionally though, she was using her magic to search for answers. It wasn't until Alaric poked her, that her eyes again focused and she was aware of what was going on.

"Are you okay?" he asked in concern.

Damon came to sit beside Vella before she had a chance to answer Alaric. He put his arm around her, looking concerned.

Vella shook her head slightly, blinking her eyes a few times. "I'm fine," she replied breathlessly.

"Look at me Vella," Damon pleaded.

Vella looked at him with a long face. "I'm fine. I just lost control for a second."

Damon looked at Alaric angrily. "Why did you have to tell her? See what happens!"

Alaric opened his mouth to defend himself, when Vella interrupted. "Will you stop treating me like a helpless child? Dammit Damon! I'm not going to break you know."

Alaric excused himself from the table for a moment so they could talk.

"I'm sorry Vella. I guess we still have some things to work on."

Vella wanted to be angry, but the look of concern on his face made it difficult. She sighed. "Could you please stop keeping things from me?"

Damon smiled apologetically. "I will try."

Vella flashed a look of warning at him. "Don't just try. Do it. I'm more than capable of dealing with things."

Damon sighed, shook his head and ordered another drink. It earned him another dirty look from Vella, but he ignored it. Alaric came back to sit with them, followed by Bonnie.  
They began to discuss some of their plan, when Stefan, Elena, Jeremy and Matt showed up. They had to go back to the beginning, but that gave Vella a few moments to try and search for Tyler. She had been practicing this particular spell all week, by using Damon as a guinea pig. He didn't know that of course. But for some reason she couldn't find Tyler no matter how hard she tried.

"Vella?"

She started at the sound of the voice calling her. "What?"

Bonnie was looking at her thoughtfully, talking quietly. "I've tried that too but it wouldn't work for me. Did you have any luck?"

She shook her head. "No. I'm not sure why either."

"Me either. It must have something to do with what he is," Bonnie mused.

Vella shrugged her shoulders in defeat. "We need to talk alone when we have a moment Bonnie."

Bonnie nodded her head slightly and then they rejoined the conversation.

Vella listened as they talked, not giving anymore input than was necessary. She didn't agree with any part of the plan that included anyone but Damon, Stefan and herself and possibly Bonnie. She didn't want anyone hurt and she still blamed herself for Tyler's transformation.

Her eyes suddenly wandered to the front door as Tyler walked in. She nudged Damon's arm beside her, but she didn't have to because he walked right up to the table with a wild grin on his face.

"Hello everyone," Tyler said with a sneer on his face. "Any of you talking a walk in the moonlight tonight?" he asked and then laughed.

Vella was about to stand, but she felt Damon's hand on her arm holding it tightly.

Tyler noticed the movement and turned his glare on Vella. "I know I'll be seeing you tonight." He laughed again, which made Damon want to get up, but he saw Mayor Lockwood standing in the doorway.

"You're lucky this time Lockwood, but your dad won't be around tonight," Damon said with a glare.

Tyler looked at him and laughed again. "I wouldn't sound so confident if I were you."

Vella was so angry right now she couldn't help herself. Her eyes unfocused and suddenly Tyler yelped in pain. A laugh escaped her lips as she realized what she had done. Everyone at the table looked at her in shock.

"I'm much more than confident," Vella retorted, as her eyes focused again.

Tyler's hands clenched into fists, but the sound of his father calling him made him relax his hands. He gave everyone at the table a dirty look and then left to sit with his father.

Stefan turned to Vella with a stern look. "Why did you do that? Were you trying to provoke him?"

Vella went to open her mouth but Damon spoke first. "Don't talk to her like that!" he replied with a look of warning.

"Guys, enough," Alaric said in a calm voice. "We need to finish working things out."

"No," Vella said shaking her head. "I'm done. You guys can talk. I'm done with talking." She made to get up from the table but Damon restrained her. She gave him a dirty look. "Get your hand off me now!"

"No," he said while shaking his head.

Vella gave him a look of warning. "Don't make me hurt you."

Damon began to smirk, but then he remembered what she could do. "Vella, please?" he pleaded.

"No. I'm not sitting here and being reprimanded. And I'm definitely not sitting here talking about how everyone is going to risk their life." She stood up, walked a step away and then turned back. "I can do this myself." She looked at Damon. "Don't bother following me, you won't find me," she finished and walked away from the table and out the door.

Damon sighed and went to get up from the table.  
"Where are you going Damon?" Stefan asked.

Damon glared at him. "Just shut up Stefan. You just had to say something to her, didn't you?"

"So this is my fault now?"

"If the shoe fits."

"Enough!" Elena said sternly. "Quit fighting." Both Damon and Stefan went to say something. "No. I mean it. We are supposed to be working together."

Stefan apologized to Elena and everyone at the table, but Damon didn't. He was too worried about Vella's state of mind to care what anyone else thought. He stayed at the table, but his mind was elsewhere.

When the meeting was finished, everyone dispersed from the table quickly, except Alaric and Damon. Damon ordered a drink, while Alaric just sat there.

"What is it, Ric?" he asked very irritated.

"Vella will be fine you know. She can take care of herself."

"Tell me something I don't know."

Alaric looked at him questioningly. "Is that the problem? You think she doesn't need you now?"

Damon pursed his lips and looked at Alaric shrewdly. "Maybe. But right now I'm more worried about her state of mind."

Alaric looked at him thoughtfully. "I wish I knew how to help."

Damon sighed. "Me too."

Alaric knew Damon needed to be alone. He got up from the table and was about to walk away, when he turned to Damon. "I know you don't want to hear this from me. But Vella loves you to death. Literally." Damon gave him a dirty look. "She would follow you to hell if you asked her. Just give her some time and space. I think she just needs some time getting used to her new situation."

Damon nodded his head slightly. "I hope you're right."

Alaric smiled supportively and left the table.

Damon drank his drink, the whole time watching the Lockwood's table. He wanted to order another, but he knew he needed to stay sober. At least sober enough. He left The Grill and drove around town for awhile. Stopping in places Vella would normally go to be alone, but he couldn't find her. He decided to go home instead of trying to find someone who didn't want to be found.

Damon walked in to the boarding house and was immediately confronted by his brother. Instead of answering questions he didn't want to answer, he bared his teeth and hissed a warning, then headed up to his room, slamming the door behind him.

He flopped on to the bed, half hoping Vella would be here, but he knew not to expect it. He closed his eyes in frustration, fighting off an urge to cry. With all that had gone on in the past couple months, and especially while they were in Italy, he hadn't realized he needed to stop and deal with his feelings, they were becoming overwhelming. Two years ago he would have just turned it all off and pretended nothing had happened, until he had forgotten about it. But since meeting Vella, he wanted to feel everything. She deserved that much from him. He couldn't afford that right now though, he needed to keep a clear head. He closed off his feelings and went down to the livingroom to grab a drink.

Damon poured himself a drink, when Stefan walked into the livingroom from the kitchen.

"Should you still be drinking Damon?"

Damon turned around to face him. "Shouldn't you be chasing some poor little squirrels right now?"

Stefan narrowed his eyes at his brother. "So we are back to this are we?"

"Well that's up to you brother."

Stefan sighed. "Would it help if I apologized again?"

Damon snorted and drank down his glass of scotch.

"Damon?"

Damon glared at his brother and bared his teeth. "Go to hell Stefan!"

"Why are you doing this?"

Damon hissed through clenched teeth. "I'm not doing anything, it's you and the rest of the do gooders!"

"Damon, please be rational?" Stefan pleaded.

Damon ran at Stefan and knocked him down to the floor. He watched as Stefan got up, glaring at him. "Let this be a warning to you little brother. Don't ever tell me how to feel again."

Stefan looked at him confused. He opened his mouth to say something but Damon hissed once and ran out the door of the boarding house.

Stefan took his phone out of his pocket and dialed a number.

"Hello?" Alaric answered.

"We have another complication," Stefan replied. "Can you come to the house?"

"Be right there," Alaric replied. And Stefan closed his phone.

**A/N: I'm sorry for taking so long with this chapter, it's been a rough time with writer's block. I hope this chapter is up to par, I don't feel it's my best. Maybe I'm being hard on myself lol.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48 ~ The Wolf, the Witch and the Mayor 

Vella wandered around the outskirts of town thinking. Now that she was away from the madness, she could think much more clearly.

The anger that had been building up in her, came from her time in Italy. She hadn't had time to deal with what had happened when she was thrown into the mess with Tyler. She wished she could just have some time alone to herself, but she didn't have that luxury right now.

Her frustration came from not wanting to put anyone in danger for her mess. She had convinced herself that Tyler's transformation was completely her fault, even though deep down inside she knew she wasn't the only one to blame. So if anyone got hurt, she would feel personally responsible. But she wasn't going to let that happen if she could help it.

Vella came across a clearing in the woods that she hadn't seen before. She sat down cross legged in the soft grass that was growing, and looked up into the sky at the sun. She couldn't enjoy the sun like she once did. She used to enjoy laying at the beach by her parent's cottage. But now it was her enemy. Without noticing, her hand went to the pendant that hung from her neck. That made her think of Damon.

Now she was filled with regret. She had been acting terribly since they had returned home from their honeymoon and he had just been putting up with it.

"I don't deserve him," she muttered softly to herself.

After thinking about what had happened earlier, she realized how leaving The Grill the way she did, had probably affected Damon and she needed to make it up to him. She got up off the soft grass, listened for a moment then ran towards the boarding house.

Vella walked in the boarding house to see Stefan and Alaric in the livingroom talking. They looked at her surprised.

"What's going on? Where's Damon?" she asked them bluntly.

Stefan's brow furrowed in the way it always did when he had something difficult to say. "He ran out of here in a really bad mood."

Vella looked at him helplessly. "How bad?"

Stefan glanced at Alaric quickly, then back to her. "I haven't seen him like this in a really long time."

Vella cursed under her breath. "He shut down, didn't he?"

"I'm afraid so."

Vella's first urge was to throw something, but she fought that urge. Right now she needed to find Damon. She looked at Stefan and Alaric.

"I'm going to look for Damon. If I don't find him then I will go after Tyler myself."

Stefan and Alaric objected, but she ignored them. "Look, we don't have time for this. Who knows what kind of trouble Damon will get in like this." Stefan's brow furrowed deeper. "I will call you if I find him. If not, stay away from Tyler. Neither of you are strong enough to deal with him."

Vella left the boarding house quickly before they could object again. She had no clue where Damon could be, but she had to search for him. Whatever trouble he got into was going to be partly her fault, if not all her fault. But she would think about that later.

She searched for him in places she thought he might be and then in places she thought he might be looking for her, but never found a trace of him. As the late day began to fade into twilight, Vella knew she had to forget searching for Damon and get prepared for Tyler.  
After much debating with herself, she decided the best place to wait would be near the Lockwood Estate. She made a quick phone call to Stefan letting him know she hadn't found Damon. She restrained herself from arguing with Stefan, hanging up on him instead. She then tried Damon's phone but he still wasn't answering. She sighed and fastened her phone in the inside pocket of her pants.

It wasn't long before Vella began to feel uneasy. The hairs on the back of her neck seemed to be standing up in warning. She looked around and noticed the full moon was beginning to rise up from it's place below the horizon.

"Shit, I thought I had longer," she mumbled to herself.

Vella shook her head at herself, wondering why she had been talking to herself a lot lately. The thought was cut short by the sound of a howling she recognized and it seemed very close.

She didn't have time to think about anything else now. She couldn't afford to lose her focus. All of her attention needed to be focused on the task ahead, stop Tyler.

Vella was about to head towards the house, when she felt something running in the trees very close to her. She turned around in time to see it run past her, only twenty feet away. It turned around and looked at her with its teeth bared, foamy drool was hanging from it's maw. Tyler the werewolf.

Vella looked at him curiously. "What are you waiting for?" she taunted.

She heard the low growl begin to develop deep in his throat, growing louder until it seemed to shake the ground. It was strange but she didn't feel afraid, not like the last time she had met him. There seemed to be something different about him though, something she couldn't put her finger on. He definitely seemed stronger, but there was something more.

Almost instantaneously, Tyler was once again standing before her, not the werewolf, but his human self. He eyed her with disdain.

"And what are you waiting for?" he taunted her in return.

Vella narrowed her eyes at him and replied, "You."

"Then come and get me."

Something inside her head told her not to attack him, that this is what he was waiting for. But deep down inside she couldn't resist wanting to tear his head off.

Her hesitation was what Tyler had needed. In an instant, he was back in his werewolf shape and running at Vella. He jumped at her, but she moved out of the way just in time. Tyler ended up past her, stopping about thrity feet away. He turned to look at her, snarling.

"Is that all you have Tyler?"

Tyler growled at her again, slowly walking forward, only to stop fifteen feet away. He stood his ground, emitting a low, rumbling growl, but didn't move any closer.

Vella stared at him confused. Why did he stop so close and won't move? She wondered. She didn't think too long though. Instead she closed her eyes and concentrated on a spell.

Tyler leapt at her, but fell down in midair yelping in pain. The spell Vella had cast, had him on the ground writhing in pain. She opened her eyes and grinned at him, but not for long. He was up in seconds trying to bite at her as he jumped up from the ground.

Vella glared at him, but he kept his distance. She still had no idea why he was acting so strange. If he's trying to tire me out, he's gonna have to try harder, she thought to herself.

The two stood there with their eyes locked on each other, neither moving. After a few minutes passed, Vella couldn't stand the suspense anymore. She narrowed her eyes, reciting a spell, but it didn't seem to work. Vella got the distinct feeling that Tyler was laughing under all the fur and teeth.

Tyler looked up into the sky and howled. It was then Vella noticed the full moon was all the way up in the sky already.

That was it, she realized, the moon. He would be too powerful right now. That's why her spells weren't working.

As if on cue, Tyler leapt at her. She caught him by his fur in midair, swinging him around and throwing him aside. He landed on his side not far away.

Vella was angry now, her face changed and she let out a growl of her own.

Tyler stood up and growled in reaction, but he didn't move from where he was.

Vella heard the sound, but not soon enough. Pain tore through her right shoulder from the back. Her hand went up to her shoulder where a hole now was and she was bleeding. She screamed out in pain and almost stumbled over. She heard the sound again, only this time she realized what it was, a gun. As the second bullet tore through her thigh, she fell to the ground. She grunted in pain as she held her hand to her thigh.

Tyler had phased back into his human self and was now standing over Vella. "You weren't expecting that, now were you?"

Vella looked at him breathing heavily. She went to stand up, but once again the gun went off and she was shot in the back. As she screamed in pain, she realized the sound had been much closer this time. Once she had a handle on the pain she opened her eyes. When they focused, she was looking into the eyes of the Mayor.

"Hello Vella," the Mayor said calmly.

Vella sneered at him. "Hello Richard."

A smile spread on his face slowly. "I guess I was right about you all along. Good thing about the wooden bullets."

Tyler grabbed a hold of Vella's left arm and pulled her up to stand. She wanted to fight but she could barely stand. The bullet in her thigh hadn't gone through her, so it wasn't healing. It was then that the mayor pulled a stake out of his belt and looked at her menacingly.

"If you don't come with me I will have no choice but to stake you."

Vella nodded and let Tyler half lead and half drag her towards the Lockwood Estate. All she could think about was Damon and how she hoped she would get to apologize to him before her life was over. As they approached the back part of the property, she could see the pool house in view. Her assumption they were taking her there was correct. Tyler threw her through the door as they got there, walking in after her, the mayor behind him.

"How long has it been?" the mayor asked her.

Vella knew what he was asking, but she was playing dumb. "For what?"

The mayor narrowed his eyes at her. "You know what. A vampire?"

"Long enough."

The mayor shook his head. "This would go much easier if you cooperate," he said and raised the gun, aiming it at her.

"How about this?" she said through clenched teeth. "You be straight with me. Come out and tell me what the hell it is you want and why you haven't killed me yet and we will talk."

Tyler kicked her leg, making her close her eyes and bite her lip to stop from screaming.

"That's enough Tyler," the mayor said angrily. He turned to Vella again with a calm look. "Are you going to cooperate then?" she nodded yes. "Fine," he sighed.

The mayor lowered the gun, but kept it in his hand. "I have suspected you were a vampire for a while now. However, with what had happened with your parents, I thought that would have been the last thing you would have wanted."

"Wanted?" Vella exclaimed. "You think I wanted this? You think I wanted to die?"

The mayor shook his head. "I'm sorry, that's not what I meant."

"What did you mean then?"

The mayor sighed deeply. "I thought maybe you would have been more careful."

Vella snorted. "You're kidding right?"

"Why don't you tell me what happened then?"

Vella sighed and rolled her eyes. She told her story, or as much as she could, leaving out Damon and Stefan's involvement.

"Now answer me a question if you will, Richard?" He nodded his head. "Why does it matter? Why am I here?"

The mayor looked at her sadly. "I had a lot of respect for your mother. She helped Tyler when he was little. It's the reason I never pursued you."

"Because my mom kept Tyler from being a werewolf?"

The mayor nodded his head. "I owed her for that. So my payment was to try and save you. I did the best I could, but it seems it wasn't enough."

"So you shot me to save me?" she asked sarcastically.

"Yes. I couldn't let you hurt Tyler, but I couldn't kill you," he frowned. "Unless I have to."

"Tyler has killed people and you're worried about me?"

"Haven't you?"

Vella looked at him, biting her lip. "Yeah, once. I killed three would be rapists."

He looked at her incredulously. "You're telling me you're a vampire and you've only killed three people. How is that possible?"

She rolled her eyes. "We don't have to kill to feed. It's in our nature to kill, but we don't have to."

The mayor began pacing back and forth slightly, thinking. "I actually believe you. There haven't been many instances of vampire attacks around here in a while."

Vella laughed. "That's because I've protected the town from them. If you only knew."

He looked at her shocked. "You have?"

"Yes," she said and laughed again. "Ironic, isn't it?"

The mayor stopped to look at her and then went back to pacing.

"The last time was just before my wedding. Do you remember?" she asked him.  
The mayor stopped midstride and looked at her with his mouth gaped open. "Yes, I do."

"Well I would tell you to talk to Sheriff Forbes about it, but I erased her memory," she said, chuckling quietly.  
"Liz? What did she know?"

Vella told him the story of Tommy and what had happened, trying to leave Damon and Stefan our of the story again. But Tyler, who was tired of keeping quiet, opened his mouth. "Dad. Why don't you ask her about the other vampires? The ones she lives with."

Vella's head turned around to look at Tyler quickly, giving him a deadly look. "You need to shut your mouth brat."

The mayor sighed and looked at Tyler angrily. "Shut up and get out of here."

"But Dad..."

"I can handle her. Go outside."

Tyler glared at Vella one last time and walked out the door, slamming it on the way out.

The mayor sighed and walked over to Vella. He took her arm and helped her into a chair. "I'm not going to mince words here, Vella. I am very disturbed by this... situation." He began to pace again. "I thought the town was safe from vampires and meanwhile there are three living here."

"Richard," Vella interrupted. "You have to realize that the Salvatores have been here a long time. They have taken care of the town as best as they could. That's how I met Damon. I asked for his help."

The mayor looked at her curiously. "Help with what?"

Vella sighed and retold the story of how she became a vampire, this time leaving out nothing.

The mayor looked at her sadly. "I really am sorry. I still don't understand what happened to your parents."

Vella looked at him pleadingly. "So why am I here? What is it you want from me now?"

He thought for a minute, then let out a long sigh. Pacing back and forth, he looked at her then stopped. "I need your help."

Vella snorted. "You need my help? Seriously?"

The mayor pursed his lips. "Long story short. I found out what happened the last time with Tyler. He had wrote about it in his journal. It seems he only began remembering about it just before your wedding." Vella had a guilty look on her face. "And when he began... changing again. I realized I needed help."  
Vella narrowed her eyes. "What kind of help?"

"Could you please try the spell again?" he asked pleading.

Vella shook her head and frowned. "I'm afraid not. As much as I would like to, it's a part of him and nothing will keep it leashed forever."

"That's what I was afraid of." He stood there looking pensively. "Then I need your help to protect him from himself... and protect the town."

She looked at the mayor in shock. "You're kidding right?"

"No. And in return, you and the Salvatores will be left alone," he paused. "And no one ever needs to find out about your secret."

"And how do I know that you will keep your word?"

He looked at her and smiled slightly. "Because I have a secret I need you to keep."

Vella nodded slightly. "I can live with that, but I can't speak for my husband, or my brother in law."

The mayor frowned slightly, a deep crease on his forehead. "I'm sure you could convince them it would be in their best interest."

Vella nodded. "I'm sure I can."

"Good, good," he said extending his hand out to her. "Let me help you up."

Vella took his hand and got up slowly. The wound on her shoulder had almost healed, but the one on her thigh and in her back were still open and painful. The mayor looked at her sadly.

"I'm sorry I had to do that."

Vella shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I can't blame you. It'll heal."

The mayor walked towards the door, when suddenly there was a loud howl. He flung the door open quickly and ran out. Vella listened for a moment, then hobbled out the door after him as fast as she could manage.

Outside, the mayor was standing still, his mouth gaped open in shock. He was watching something that was happening a few hundred feet away. Tyler was a werewolf again and he was fighting with someone. The mayor couldn't tell who it was from that distance, but Vella could, it was Damon.

"Damon!" she yelled as loud as she could.

Damon glanced at her quickly, then back at his task at hand, dealing with Tyler. They were fighting so furiously it was tough for Vella to tell who was winning.

"You have to stop him, please?" the mayor begged.

Vella looked at him helplessly. "I'll see what I can do." She reached down to her thigh and found the bullet deep inside the wound. She reached in and yanked it out, trying not to groan in pain. The mayor looked as if he was about to get sick.

Vella felt her back wound, the bullet had only ricocheted off her back so it was fine. She took a few steps toward the action and nearly stumbled.

"I'm sorry, Richard. I'm not strong enough yet," she said breathlessly.

He looked at her pleadingly. "Please, isn't there any way?"

Vella looked at him with a strange look. She didn't want to tell him what would help, it didn't seem right. But he seemed to know, when he offered his wrist up to her and asked, "Will this do?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't think I can."

The mayor looked at her, his face filled with fear, fear for his son. "I trust you. And I will do anything to save my son."

Vella shook her head and took his arm in her hand. She willed her fangs to do their job, which they did, piercing the skin on his wrist as delicately as possible and only drinking a slight amount of blood. Her wounds began to heal almost instantly and she once again felt strong. She looked up to see the look of disgust on the mayor's face and smiled at him apologetically.

She didn't have time to worry about anything else. She ran towards Damon and Tyler as quick as she could, stopping in the middle.

"Enough! Both of you!" she yelled.

Damon and Tyler stopped where they were, both breathing heavily. Both of them looked like they could pounce again at any minute.

"This stops here and now!"

Neither Damon nor Tyler moved even an inch. Something about the way she yelled told them both she meant business.

Vella turned to face Damon first. "It's okay. We will talk about this later." Then she turned to face Tyler. She took a few steps forward slowly, apprehensively. "Tyler," she began, but that was all she got out. Suddenly Tyler was leaping at her in midair and she barely had time to react. But at the same time, Damon was running towards Tyler. It wasn't a conscience thought, but out of instinct. Suddenly Tyler and Damon crashed into what seemed like an invisible wall and flew backwards hitting the ground.

Vella slumped over for a moment to catch her breath. Then stood up straight and tall, breathing heavily. She turned towards Damon for just a moment, with a glare and her hand up in a stop motion then approached Tyler. He seemed to be trying to move, but he was immobile. The voice that came out of Vella's mouth next was not her own. It was female, but much deeper and much more commanding.

"You will not attack anyone without provocation ever again!" Vella's hands moved in a strange motion and then there was a bright light around Tyler. Almost in an instant, Tyler was human again. "Do not make me have to do this again!" The voice warned and then Vella slumped over and fell to the ground.

The force that had been holding Damon back, seemed to have let go the instant Vella slumped to the ground. He got up and ran to her, kneeled down and pulled her body in his arms. "Vella, Vella, Are you okay?"

Vella's eyes fluttered slightly and then opened quickly. "What the hell? Where am I?" She calmed down when she realized Damon was holding her.

"Are you okay?" Damon asked concerned.

Vella smiled widely at him. "Of course," she said and stood up, leaving Damon looking at her in wonder.

"What happened to you?" Damon asked as he stood up.

"Later," she said and waved her hand at him. She walked over to Tyler, who was now standing up, with his father beside him.

"Are you okay, Tyler?"

Tyler looked at Vella strangely. "Yeah, I'm fine," he mumbled.

Vella looked at the mayor. "So all is still good?"

The mayor looked at her with a mix of gratitude and awe. "Yes, everything is as we agreed. We can talk later about it in length. For now I think we would both like to go home."

Vella nodded and took Damon's hand in hers. "Let's go home."

Damon nodded in agreement. He let her pull him for a short time. As soon as he knew no one was in earshot, he stopped. "What the hell happened?"

Vella frowned slightly and sighed. "Can we talk about it later, please? Im exhausted."

Damon shook his head. "No way. I need to know now."

Vella smiled lovingly at him and brushed his cheek with her hand gently. "Please?"

He tried being angry, but he really wasn't. Instead he nodded his head in defeat.

"Call your brother and let him know all is well first though. He's as stubborn as you."

Damon looked at her with an eyebrow raised, she just giggled at him. Then he smiled and said, "Let's go." 

**A/N: Well I'm not totally pleased with this chapter, but this is how it ended up. I hope you enjoy it though. I will update as soon as I can but with school in my life is busier.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49 ~ On A Mission

Damon didn't say another word to Vella the whole way home. He was fighting with his emotions again and it was exhausting him. Between the anger from earlier in the day, his fear for Vella and being completely confused about everything, he just wanted it all to stop. But as he looked into Vella's eyes and held her hand, he knew he couldn't just shut down and take the easy way out. He loved her too much for that, even when she was being difficult.

When they arrived at the boarding house, Vella went straight up to the bedroom, while Damon grabbed himself a drink before heading up to the bedroom. Vella was sprawled across the bed with her eyes closed when Damon walked in. He sat on the edge of the bed and put the hand that wasn't holding his glass on her back.

"Are we going to talk now?" he asked impatiently.

Vella opened her eyes and looked at him. "I know you need explanations, but can't they wait?"

Damon frowned and let out a long sigh. "Vella, I've been very patient with you."

Vella sat up in the bed and wiggled to sit beside him. She lifted her hand to the side of his face and looked in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Damon. All I want to do right now is sleep."

Damon put his drink down on the dresser nearby and put his hand over top of hers. "I do too, but all I can do is worry."

Vella smiled supportively and sighed. "Can you just take me at my word? Everything is fine."

Damon studied her eyes. He could tell she wasn't lying, but he still felt uneasy. "Promise you will tell me everything in the morning."

"I promise," she whispered.

Damon took her head in his hands and pulled her towards him, kissing her lips gently for only a moment. "Sweet dreams, my love."

Vella smiled at him lovingly and curled up on her side of the bed. She didn't even care she was still fully dressed. She was fast asleep as soon as she stopped moving.

Damon watched her sleeping for a few minutes and then got undressed and crawled into bed with her. He slip up behind her, with his arm wrapped around her waist. He fell asleep while listening to the rythmic sound of her breathing.

Damon had been more exhausted then he had realized. He slept through the rest of the night and half of the morning. He awoke to the sun shining in his eyes from between the curtains. It took him a second to realize where he was. He turned and realized that Vella was already out of bed. He sighed and hunted for his clothes, then went down the hall and had a shower before heading downstairs.

He didn't see anyone in the livingroom, so he went into the kitchen. There he found Vella, Stefan and Elena at the kitchen table.

"Morning sleepy head," Vella beamed at him.

"Morning," he mumbled. He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table beside Vella.

Stefan looked at Damon, then at Vella and finally at Elena. He took Elena's hand in his and stood up. "Think we should go out for a bit."

Elena looked at him knowingly and stood up too. "See you later Vella, Damon."

Stefan nodded his head at the couple and lead Elena out of the kitchen.

Damon narrowed his eyes questioningly. "What was that about?" he asked Vella.

Vella looked at him, studying his face. "Get some coffee in you because we have to talk."

Damon opened his mouth to say something, but instead he complied with her wishes and drank his coffee.

Vella spent the next hour talking to Damon at length about the mayor and his deal. It took a lot of convincing, but she finally got him to see her side. They were much safer if the mayor was on their side, even if Damon hated him and his son with a passion.

After things were worked out between Vella and Damon, things were much better. Both of them had a chance to come to terms with everything that had happened recently and everything began to return to normal. Normal for them.

It was many weeks later, when Vella got a phone call. It was from Dominic. He had a mission for her.

Vella was going to refuse his request, but the case he spelled out for her had her upset enough to look into it. She wasn't sure what Damon would think and whether he would help her, but she hoped he wouldn't make it more difficult for her.

It took less convincing than she would have thought. She figured he was probably afraid that something would happen to her, but she would never let on that she knew.

"So where are we going?" Damon asked curiously as they began to drive away from the boarding house.

"A small town in North Carolina," she replied.

"North Carolina?" he asked with trepidation.

Vella gripped the steering wheel tightly and turned her head to look at him quickly. "Is that a problem?" she asked suspiciously.

Damon grinned broadly. "No, of course not."

Vella could sense something was bothering him and it irked her that he wouldn't tell her. "You know, North Carolina is a big state," she said offhanded.

Damon looked at her with his eyebrows raised, trying to look innocent. "What's your point?"

Vella sighed. "This is going to be a really long drive."

Damon looked at her funny, but didn't say anything. He was thinking about the last time he travelled to North Carolina. He didn't want Vella to know anything about that trip. He hoped wherever they were going, was far away from that little town.

It took only a few hours to get to their destination, even driving through the town Damon had been hoping they wouldn't stop in. They were only a couple of towns away, which was still way too close for him.

"So what's the plan anyway?" Damon asked her curiously, as they stopped in the parking lot of a little motel.

Vella smiled mischievously. "Well that's why I brought you along." She laughed as he gave her a dirty look.

"So you have no plan?" Damon rolled his eyes. "That's so like you." Vella stuck her tongue out at him and he laughed. "So what exactly are we doing here?"

Vella looked at him and frowned. "There have been several dead bodies found in this tiny town. Necks ripped out, drained of blood." Damon looked at her with a furrowed brow. "Most of the people found dead have been tourists or people just passing through town."

Damon looked like he was thinking, before he spoke. "Sounds like someone is trying not to hurt anyone they know."

"That's what I was thinking."

"So where do you want to start?" he asked.

Vella's eyes looked down and unfocused for a moment as she thought. "Well, I was hoping to see if this town had a library. Then I could find out where the attacks happened, get an idea where this vampire might be."

Damon smiled at her. "Great idea. Let me go ask in the motel office."  
Vella smiled at him. "Why, what a gentleman you are Damon Salvatore."

"I try," he said sarcastically while bowing, then he smiled and walked towards the motel.

Vella laughed and sat on the hood of her car. She closed her eyes to concentrate. She was hoping to sense something, anything, but it didn't usually work like that. She often wondered if it was because she didn't know what she was doing or for another reason. She tried not to think about that though, it only made her wish her mother was here to help her. Even though it had been nine years now, it still made her heart ache. And ever since she had got in touch with her magic, it hurt more. She found herself thinking about her mother more lately than she had in a few years. She often found herself hiding it from Damon. She wasn't sure why, but she felt silly. She could turn it all off if she wanted to, but that was the strange part, she didn't want to.

While she was lost in thought, Damon appeared beside her, making her start.

"So, what's the word?" she asked.

"Are you up for this?" he asked seriously.

"Of course. Why do you ask?"

Damon looked at her seriously. "You just seem to be lost lately."

"Oh," she said surprised. "It's nothing important."

Damon looked at her even more seriously. "I thought we were done with the secrets. I thought we learned that lesson."

Vella sighed exaggeratedly. "It's stupid or I would talk to you about it."

Damon took her head in his hands, looking deep into her eyes. "Nothing you could ever say or think is stupid enough we can't talk about it. Why won't you let me in?"

Vella looked at him and smiled weakly. "It's nothing bad. We don't have time to talk about it right now though, so I will promise we can talk once our task is done."

Damon studied her face for a moment, before replying. "As long as you give me your promise we will talk about it when this is over." She nodded in agreement. "And, that it's nothing important."

Vella took her index finger and touched Damon's lips gently to quiet him. "I promise."

Damon kissed her finger slowly, moving up to her hand, then biting it gently.

Vella moaned quietly then pulled her hand away, giving him a chastising look. "So what did you find out in the motel?"

Damon stared at her smiling for a moment. "The library is on the main street, near the middle of town. It's not far from here."

Vella nodded. "Let's go."

They drove to the library, which was a tiny red bricked building that sat beside the city hall. It was quiet inside, only the librarian and one woman browsing through the books were there. They headed to the only computer in the library to search through the newspaper articles.

"Look at this," Vella whispered to Damon, pointing to one of the articles. "They were kind enough to release a map of all the attacks." She snorted. "I would guess that whoever is doing this lives, or lived somewhere in the middle of this area here."

Damon studied it carefully, nodding. "At the very least it's a good place to start."

Vella printed out a copy of the article and they got back into their car. They drove just out of town, stopping on a quiet road.

Damon got out of the car and went exploring, while Vella sat on the hood with her eyes closed, trying to sense something, anything.

It was about an hour later when Damon came back to the car. He found Vella on the ground in front of the car. She had spread out a blanket to lay on and she was sound asleep. He sat beside her on the blanket for a moment, watching her sleep. He tapped her gently on the arm to wake her, smiling lovingly. "Wake up sleepy head."

Vella opened her eyes slowly, blinking them a few times before realizing where she was. She sat up quickly, looking at Damon slightly ashamed. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep."

Damon smiled, laughing slightly. "I think you've been working too hard."

"Tell me about it. All this magic takes more out of me than you can imagine."

He looked at her concerned. "Well, maybe you need to stop depending on it so much. You got along fine a long time without it."

Vella smiled gratefully. "I'm fine Damon. Try not to worry so much."

Damon stood up quickly and yanked Vella to her feet, pulling her into a tight embrace. "You can't make me not worry about you," he said frowning.

Vella loosened his embrace and looked at him. "Don't be such a worrywart, it's so... Stefanish," she said and chuckled.

Damon chuckled and then gave her a serious look. "Okay, this is me being as unStefanish as I can." Vella laughed as he tried not to look worried. "Just be careful. That's it."

Vella smiled and nodded and kissed his cheek. "Okay... Stefan," she laughed and then ran super fast away from him.

Damon laughed and chased her until he finally caught up to her, tickling her until she flopped on to the grass by the car. They embraced each other and kissed for a few moments, before Damon let her up. "You got grass in your hair," he said grinning.

Vella brushed her fingers through her hair to get the grass out, grinning at Damon. "Okay, we've had enough fun," she said still smiling. "Did you find anything on your expedition?"

He shook his head slightly. "No, nothing of interest. What about you?"

"No, not really," she said and frowned disappointedly. "I guess we wait for nightfall."

Damon and Vella killed some time until nightfall. First they went hunting, they knew they would need their strength. Then they found a quieter road to park the car in the long grass so no one would come to investigate it while they were away.

When it began to get dark, they both went separate ways to keep an eye out for trouble, keeping their cell phones on to contact each other.

Vella was walking by a quiet little farmhouse, when she sensed another vampire. She knew this wasn't Damon, so she did her best to hide behind some trees and keep as quiet as possible. She wasn't there long before she saw a young man walking towards the farmhouse. She quickly texted Damon, letting him know where she was and then sneaked around the side of the house. She heard the front door open and close, so she walked back around to the front of the house and squatted under an open window. She was listening to what was going on when Damon came up behind her silently.

"What's going on?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"You're not going to believe this," she said, but then stopped. "I hear someone else in there. If she's human there's no way we are getting into this house."

Damon looked at her strangely. "We need to get him out here then."

Vella nodded, biting her lip. "You go to the side of the house and cause a distraction. I will get him as soon as he leaves the house."

Damon nodded in agreement and walked around the side of the house. A minute later, there was a loud bang, which sent the man running out of the house. The man had only gotten a few yards away from the house before he went down on the ground, gripping his head in pain.

Vella walked up to the vampire, staring at him while he was writhing on the ground in pain. Damon ran back from the other side of the house and squatted beside the vampire, holding a stake above him. Vella stopped the spell she was casting and Damon looked at him angrily. "Don't move," he warned.

A woman came running out from the house yelling, "Leave him alone!" and ran up to Damon, jumping on his back.

Damon dropped his stake in surprise as he struggled to grab the woman off his back without hurting her. In the confusion, the vampire got up from the ground, growling and hissing and leapt at Vella. She didn't have much time to think as she grappled with the vampire. She managed to get the upper hand, grabbing his arm and throwing him to the ground. She jumped on him, straddling his body with a wooden stake over his heart.

"Don't give me an excuse to use this," she said while breathing heavily.

The vampire stared at her with an expression of fear, unmoving.

Damon was holding the woman by her upper arm. She was crying and screaming uncontrollably. "Please don't hurt him, please don't hurt him." He yanked her to face him, compelling her to relax. She complied, relaxing, standing still and quiet.

Vella looked at the vampire seriously as she spoke. "I'm going to get off you, but don't move. If Damon doesn't stop you, I will." He nodded his head in agreement and Vella stood up over top of him. "Stand up," she ordered him.

The vampire stood up, looking fearful. "I don't understand what you are doing," he stated.

Damon laughed dryly and walked over to the vampire. "You know, I should rip your heart out for attacking Vella."

"Damon," Vella said calmly, lifting up her hand to stop him. "What is your name?" she asked, facing the vampire.

"It's Ron."

"Well Ron," she said. "How long have you been a vampire?"

Ron looked at her and then looked down. "A few weeks."

"So were you the one killing the tourists?"

Ron kept his head down and spoke softly. "Yes."

Vella sighed and looked at Damon. "What are we going to do with him?"

Ron's head shot up as he stared at Vella. "What do you mean, do with me?" At the same time, the woman began to shake violently.

"What did you do to her?" Ron yelled at Damon.

Damon rolled his eyes and looked at the woman. "You can speak again, but don't try anything funny," he said, compelling her.

The woman gave Damon a hopeless look. "You can't hurt him. Please?" she begged.

Vella gave the woman a look that seemed to shut her up. She then looked at Ron, who was watching the woman with a worried look. "I want to know how you became a vampire. Tell me everything and then we can talk about what happens next."

Ron nodded. "It happened almost three weeks ago. I was driving back from Raleigh when I was hit head on by a car. I don't really know what happened until I woke up as a vampire. I only know what my wife, Helen told me." He looked over at the woman Damon was standing beside.  
Vella looked Helen. "What do you know?"

Silent tears started to roll down Helen's face as she began to speak. "When I got the call about the accident, I drove to Raleigh. He wasn't doing well. The doctors told me he would probably die. I didn't know what to do," she sobbed for a minute before continuing. "A doctor came up to me. He said he had a miracle cure. I was too upset to think about it, so I let him do what he wanted to."

"What did he do?" Vella interrupted.

"He made me stand outside, but I watched through the window. He pulled out a syringe from his pocket. I don't know what it was but it was filled with a red liquid. He injected it into Ron's IV and then came back out to see me. It was then the heart monitor went crazy and nurses and doctors went flying into the room. When they came back out, they told me he was dead," she let out a heavy sob. "I couldn't find the doctor who injected him. I didn't even know his name."

Vella looked over at Damon shaking her head and then looked back to Helen. "What happened afterwards?"

Helen took a deep breath. "I came back home. The hospital said they would send his body back here. Then I got the call."

"A call?"

"Yes. I was told that Ron's body went missing while it was being transported," she sniffeled a few times. "A few days later, Ron showed up on my doorstep acting all weird."

"Okay, so tell me what you know about this doctor," Vella asked.

"Not much. A woman at the hospital told me he was a miracle worker. That he had injected her husband and his wounds healed right in front of her eyes. That's why I agreed to his help."

"Will you two excuse us a second?" she asked Helen and Ron. She walked over to Damon holding her fingers to her lips, then closed her eyes for a few seconds. "Okay, not sure how long the spell will work, but he won't hear us."

Damon looked at her strangely. "I've never heard of something like this before."  
Vella shook her head. "Me either. Question is, is this a vampire doing this or a human?"

"It would have to be a vampire," Damon said. "How could it be a human?"

"I don't know Damon, but we need to find that out. If someone is making money trying to heal people and accidentally making vampires if they die before they can heal, that's a real huge problem."

"What about them?" Damon asked, looking at Helen and Ron.

"What if I ask you to do something crazy?"

"Because I have never done anything crazy, right?" Damon replied smirking.

"Right, right. You practically invented crazy, didn't you?" Vella said teasingly.

Damon rolled his eyes and laughed. "You know I would do anything for you."

Vella smiled at him mischieviously. "We will see," she said and walked back over to the couple. She looked at Ron as she spoke. "I can't have you killing people. So I'm going to do something to help you."  
Ron looked at her confused and so did Damon.

"Me and Damon are going to stay here for a few days. Teach you how to live without killing." Damon gave her a dirty look, but didn't say anything. "If you want me to, that is."

Ron looked at her apprehensively. "What happens if I don't want help?"

"Then I'm afraid I will have no other choice but to kill you."

Ron looked at Helen and nodded. "I'll do it."

The next few days, Vella and Damon did what they could to help Ron with his new life. He was very eager to learn, so it didn't take much effort on either of their parts. Ron was so in love with his wife, he wanted to do anything to be with her and she felt the same.

On the fifth day, Ron approached Vella about turning his wife.

Vella looked at him with a frown. "I can't tell you what to do Ron, but this isn't a life I would wish on anyone."

"But you don't understand," he pleaded. "I can't live without her."  
"I do understand. More than you know," she glanced at Damon. "But do you love her enough to let her live a normal life? Even if it means you live beyond her?"

Ron looked at her sadly. "I don't know."

Vella looked at him supportively. "Give it some time. Then you can make a decision."

He shook his head agreeably. "But how is it done?"

"I will tell you tomorrow before we leave."

When it was time to leave the next day, Vella kept her promise and told Ron how to change someone into a vampire. Damon didn't approve but she thought it was better that Ron know how, than to try and attempt it on his own and kill his wife. Before they walked out, they warned him about killing. If anyone else was killed they would have to come back and kill him, but Vella had a good feeling about him. It wasn't until they were in the car that Damon was finally able to speak his mind.

"You know, I never realized how crazy you are," Damon said seriously.

Vella shook her head, smiling. "I'm not crazy, I just believe in love."

Damon rolled his eyes and snorted. "Love."

Vella rolled her eyes and smiled. She was silently laughing at him. She knew he was much more soft hearted than he let on.

They drove for awhile before Damon spoke again. "What are we doing?"

"Huh?"

"About the doctor," he replied. "We are going to do something about that, aren't we?"

Vella pursed her lips. "Not we, Damon. Me."

He opened his mouth to protest, but changed his mind. He would wait until they got home to discuss it.

**A/N: I wanted to post this quickly so I only proof read it once. Hopefully I didn't mess it up too badly lol. I know how the next chapter is supposed to go, so hopefully I will get it done quickly. Let me know what you think, please. I wasn't really pleased with this one. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50 ~ The Clinic

The drive home was long and quiet. Neither Vella, nor Damon, broke the silence with idle chatter. Vella knew what Damon wanted to say and Damon didn't want to start an argument in the car. But when they arrived home, things were different. They had just walked in the door when Damon started.

"You are not going to do this alone!" Damon yelled, clearly frustrated.

Vella rolled her eyes and sighed. "I'm not going to argue with you about this," she said calmly and walked into the livingroom and poured herself a drink. "This is something I have to do alone."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked surprised.

Vella looked at him carefully and drank her glass of vodka. "Whatever is going on there, I doubt it will be easy to get to them. But I'm a nurse, or at least was. I'm going to see if I can get a job there or nearby."

Damon narrowed his eyes slightly. "And what if you can't find a job there?"

Vella laughed loudly and poured herself a drink. She held it up as if she was toasting and drank it down in one swallow. "I know a lot of people Damon. And if I can't get it that way, I will just compel someone."

Damon looked at Vella funny, which made her laugh. He walked up to her, wrapping his arms around her and smiling. "You know I just worry."

Vella rolled her eyes. "Here we go with the Stefan attitude again. I think marriage is making you old."

He looked at Vella with a slight smirk on his lips. "Well I am 145 years older than you."

"Yeah, you really robbed the cradle, didn't you?" she asked sarcastically and laughed.

Damon laughed and squeezed her tighter. He looked deep into her eyes, then leaned in and kissed her slowly and deeply. He pulled back after a few seconds, looking into her eyes again with a mocking expression. "You win."

Vella looked at him smiling. "Well that was easy. Usually it takes more than a kiss to win you over," she said grinning slyly.

Damon laughed lightly and released his grip on her so he could pour himself a drink. Vella watched him, thinking.

"Damon," she said carefully. "It's not because I don't want you to come with me. It's because I have no clue who is doing this. What if they know you?"

Damon held his drink by his side, eyeing her intently. He looked down at his drink and swirled it around in the glass before looking at her again. "You're right."

Vella waited for more. He just agreed with her and more so, said she was right. There had to be more. But as she watched him she realized he was being completely candid and didn't seem to have anything else to say. "That's it?"

Damon nodded his head once quickly. "That's it."

Vella narrowed her eyes in suspicion but didn't say anything else. She took off upstairs and after getting fresh clothes, jumped into the shower.

She took her time in the shower, hoping Damon would join her like usual, but he didn't. After a lot of idle thought, she got dressed and went to their bedroom. She didn't expect Damon would follow her, so she wasn't let down when he didn't show. She laid on the bed, for what was supposed to be a minute, and dozed off quickly.

When Vella woke up, she wasn't sure what time it was. The curtains were pulled tightly closed, so there were no hints there. She only knew it was still daytime.

Vella stretched widely, sighing and got up from her bed. She looked at her wrist and realized she had left her watch in the bathroom. As she walked to the bathroom to retrieve it, she heard voices downstairs. She stopped suddenly to listen.

"If you keep treating her like a child, she's going to keep rebelling against you," Stefan said.

Damon snorted. "What do you know brother?"

"I know that she's much stronger than you give her credit for and she's very independant. But I also know, she's totally and completely in love with you."

Damon rolled his eyes and snorted. "Tell me something I don't know?"

"Damon, I'm being serious here," Stefan sighed. "Not that you know how to be serious."

He glared at his brother. "I'm as serious as a heart attack."

Vella was about to walk towards the bathroom again when Stefan opened his mouth again.

"Are you trying to drive her away?"

Vella heard the low growl developing in Damon's chest. She thought she should go interrupt but she found herself wanting to stand still to listen.

"Shut up Stefan!" he snarled. "You don't know her like I do."

"That might be true, but I know her well enough to know that you're being stupid."

Damon laughed dryly. "Seriously, Stefan. I'm not sure you're the one I should be taking love advice from."

Stefan shuffled his feet for a moment. "She needs support Damon. She needs you to trust her. And most of all, she needs you to tell her the truth."

Damon laughed again incredulously. "Like you should be speaking about truth, brother? I'm sure Elena would think differently."

Vella heard Stefan sigh and walk into the kitchen. That was her cue to fetch her watch from the bathroom. She did so quickly and quietly and went to return to the bedroom. As she turned towards that direction, Damon was standing there.

"Damon!" she shrieked breathlessly. "You startled me."

Damon looked at her in amusement, his smile getting bigger as he watched her face. "Sorry," he said and shrugged.

"Sure you are," she said and chuckled.

"We need to talk," he said seriously.

Vella nodded and followed him into their bedroom. She sat down on the bed and he sat beside her, looking stoic. That made her all the more suspicious.

Damon took Vella's hand in his. He began running his thumb over the top of her hand. "I will let you do this alone, but I have a couple of conditions."

Vella looked at him, waiting.

"First of all. You need to contact me at least once a day." Vella nodded and replied, "Of course." Damon smiled for a moment then pursed his lips. "If you get in trouble or need help, you have to let me know. I don't want you being brave."

"Or stupid?" Vella asked defensively, pulling her hand from his.

Damon sighed and rolled his eyes. "I knew you would go there. I don't think you're stupid, just brave and... foolish sometimes."

Vella crossed her arms angrily. "That's exactly what I said, stupid."

Damon threw his arms up in the air in frustration. "It doesn't mean the same thing."

Vella decided she wasn't going to argue with him. He had agreed and that was the most she could hope for. She got up from the bed and Damon grabbed her arm.

"Don't go," he begged quietly.

Vella ripped her arm from his hand, giving him an evil glare. "Don't go now? Or don't go to Raleigh?"

Damon looked at her apologetically. He didn't want to say what he felt, but he knew her well enough to not even attempt it.

"Both."

Vella looked at him with a look that said, stop trying to make me feel guilty. She really didn't want to be away from him, they were sitll newlyweds after all, but it needed to be done. She just hoped it wouldn't take too long to figure out.

Vella stood in front of him, reaching out to hold his face. She stared deeply into his beautiful blue eyes. "I don't want to do this Damon but I have to. All I want you to do is trust me. Trust that I can handle this."

Damon took a hold of her wrists, pushing her arms down quickly and pulling her towards him so she had to sit on his lap, straddling his legs. He pulled her body tight against his and began kissing her. She wanted to fight him at this moment, but her willpower had completely disappeared with this simple kiss. He wasn't fighting fair, she thought.

She did her best to push him away, but he wasn't letting go. He stopped kissing her and looked into her eyes. "I love you, Vella."

"I love you too, Damon," she said and laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

Damon wrapped his arms around her tightly, holding her. He didn't want to let go. "You know me too well, Vella. Sometimes I forget how well." Vella opened her eyes while he spoke. "Beneath all of my bravado, sarcasm and attitude, you know the real me. And right now I'm afraid. I'm afraid to lose you. I don't think I could..."

Vella reached her hand up to his mouth, lightly covering it. "Shh," she said then sat straight up looking into his eyes. "I'm not going anywhere. You can't get rid of me that easily."

Damon smiled lightly, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"I promise nothing will happen to me," she smiled lightly. "How could I when I have you waiting at home for me?"

Damon smiled and this time the smile lit his eyes up. He grabbed her, a little more roughly than he had planned, and laid her on the bed. He got on top of her, kissing her passionately. It wasn't long before they were both naked, making love to each other, neither of them wanting it to end.

Several hours later, Vella woke up. She was laying against Damon with her head on his chest. She smiled widely as she remembered how she ended up falling asleep with Damon this way. She wished she didn't need to get up, but she did. It was already getting late in the day and she had something to take care of.

Vella kissed his chest and moved to get up from the bed, when a hand reached out to pull her back towards the bed.

"Where are you going?" Damon whispered as pulled her close and kissed her deeply.

Vella pulled away slowly, smiling widely. "I have to go to the hospital and talk to Janine."

Damon's smile faded slowly from his face and there was a hardness in his eyes.

Vella smiled knowingly, brushing his cheek gently with the tips of her fingers. "I will be back soon," she said and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

Damon released his grip on her and watched her go. He laid in bed for a few minutes, his hands to his face in frustration. He took a few deep breaths to calm the storm that was raging inside him, before getting out of bed and heading down to the livingroom to get a drink.

Vella didn't stay long at the hospital. Just long enough to have her friend and former boss write a glowing recommendation for her. It was late and she wanted to get back to the house. She would be leaving early in the morning and she wanted to spend as much time as she could with Damon.

When she walked into the house, she sensed something, but she wasn't sure what. But as she walked into the livingroom, Stefan was there cleaning up broken glass and she knew what it was she sensed, Damon's anger.

Stefan looked up from his chore with a wrinkled forehead.

"Don't even say it Stefan, I know what you're going to say."

Stefan nodded his head. "I don't think you do."

"Really?"

Stefan nodded his head again, then sat on the couch and patted the seat beside him, beckoning her to sit down. "He's not here."

Against her better judgement, she sat down beside him, waiting to hear what she was expecting; that Damon was scared and worried about her.

"He's not just afraid something is going to happen to you. I think he's afraid that - you might not come back."

"What?"

Stefan looked at her as if it was paining him to speak. "He's insecure. He's afraid you will find someone better."

Vella stood up quickly. "What? You're kidding me?"

"I wish I was," he said sadly.

She began to pace a few steps forward and back over and over with her head down. She stopped after a minute to look at Stefan. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Vella sighed, frustrated. "What can I do to make him realize I would never do that?"

Stefan pondered this a moment. "I'm not sure. Katherine messed with his head so badly I'm really surprised he was ever able to get past it."

"But you did." It was as much of a statement as it was a question.

"He was in love with her. The love I had for her wasn't real. It made it easier for me," Stefan sighed. "Damon is much more sensitive than he lets on."

"I know he is, Stefan," she said acidly.

"I will look after him while you're gone. Please keep in touch."

Vella watched his face as he spoke. She could see there was much more meaning behind what he was saying, Stefan would be worried too and keeping in touch would be as much for him as it would be for his brother's peace of mind. It was nice, but she wasn't thinking about that right now. She was too worried about Damon.

Vella went upstairs and paced around the bedroom for a short while. She kept running Stefan's words through her head over and over. The more she thought of it, the more she realized it was true, whether she wanted to deny it or not. There were times when Damon seemed controlling, but that wasn't it, he was insecure. As much as she told herself it was Katherine's fault, she had to shoulder some of the responsibility as well. She had been with Damon long enough for these feelings to fade, but they hadn't, so it must be her fault for not making him feel secure.

She sat down on the bed, trying not to feel guilty, when Damon walked in. He had such a long face, it made her feel even worse than she already did. In seconds, she crossed the space between them, throwing her arms around him, holding him as tightly as she could.

"I don't know how to make you feel better about this, Damon. Please tell me how?" she pleaded desperately.

Damon squeezed her tightly, lowering his head so his lips were beside her ear. "You just did," he whispered gently.

Tears began to flow down Vella's face. They were tears of happiness as well as tears of relief. The task ahead of her was going to be difficult enough without having to worry about Damon.

"I promised. Don't you forget that," she whispered.

Vella left for North Carolina early the next morning. It was a few hours drive from Mystic Falls to Raleigh, but she drove quickly.

The first thing she did in Raleigh, was find the hospital that Ron had been at when he was in the car accident. They didn't have any openings for nurses, but they knew of some clinics looking for nurses. While she was there, she compelled a few people and learned which doctor was claiming to have a mystery cure, his name was Dr. Clark.

After some studying at her hotel later that evening, she learned as much as she could about the clinic and the doctor in question. She was quite sure she would be able to get a job there, it seemed there was always openings for nurses. It probably should have made Vella nervous, but it only made her more determined to find out what was going on.

Vella called Damon, as she promised. He didn't have much to say but she could tell he was happy to hear her voice. He made her talk about anything and everything, she figured he just wanted to hear her voice. It had only been since the morning, but to Damon it was already an eternity.

The next morning, Vella made her way to Doctor Clark's clinic for a job interview. The clinic was unassuming, though Vella wondered what she had been expecting, Frankenstein's castle. She laughed at the thought.

The interview went pretty much how she imagined. There was nothing strange or worrisome. With the glowing recommendation's from her boss, she was sure to get in. The only problem had come when she was asked why she was in town. She had already thought of an excuse, but thinking about it was painful. She hoped she made it sound authentic.

As she sat in her hotel room waiting for a call, she kept thinking back to the interview.

_"So what brings you to Raleigh, Mrs. Salvatore?" Doctor Clark inquired._

_"It's Ms. Evans now," Vella said with a frown. "I needed to get away from my husband."_

_"I see," said the doctor. "Does this mean you are ready to work right away?"_

_"Yes. As soon as I find a job I can find a permanent residence."_

Vella sighed heavily. She knew she had to do this but it wasn't making it any easier. She took out her cell and began sending dirty texts to Damon. It felt weird at first, but it made her feel much better. She called him later that night to hear his voice. He even promised to talk to her until she fell asleep with the phone in her hand. That would have been great, but as she was talking, she realized she was hungry. She said her goodbyes to Damon and went out to hunt. She chastised herself for going so long without anything to eat. It was going to be hard enough to work around injured people without being hungry.

Vella got back to her hotel room and laid on her bed. She began to think about a time when she could be around blood with no problems. That was in the beginning but it was much more difficult now. She hadn't worked for quite awhile, so she wasn't often exposed to blood any longer, unless it was time to eat. She hoped she would still be able to handle it. She was full and content now, which made it easy for her to doze off without realizing she was tired.

Vella was awakened by her phone ringing. It took her a moment to get her bearings in this strange room, but she found her phone lying on the floor beside the night stand.

"Hello?" she mumbled.

"Ms. Evans. I hope I'm not calling too early." It was Doctor Clark.

Vella looked at her watch. It was seven a.m. "No, of course not."

"I normally wouldn't call so early but I was hoping you could start right away. I'm short handed today."

"Oh, of course I could," she replied in surprise. "Just give me time to shower and I will be right there."

"Absolutely. And thank you for saving my hide today," he chuckled slightly.

"No problem. See you soon."

"Bye."

Vella sighed and stretched. She couldn't believe how quick and easy this was becoming. She had to hope that she wouldn't get too complacent and let something slip. She jumped in the shower, where her worries followed her.

When she was finished, she got dressed and sent a quick text to Damon, she wasn't sure when she would be home and the last thing she wanted him to do was worry about her.

Vella arrived at the clinic about eight. She was given scrubs and shown where she could change. She couldn't put her finger on it, but the atmosphere inside the clinic felt strange. If she hadn't known there was something strange going on, she might have pushed it out of her head and chalked it up to her imagination, but that wasn't happening.

The day seemed to go by pretty quickly considering how strange Vella felt. The work was easy enough, in fact she found she missed being a nurse and thought she might just go back to work when she got home.

The only thing Vella found suspicious the whole day, was a doorway that only a few people were allowed in. The only way to get in was with a key card and a password. She intended on getting in that room at some point, but first she needed to find out more.

By seven o'clock that evening, Vella was exhausted and ready to leave. She bid farewell to the doctor and her co-workers and went back to her hotel room. She called Damon and then went hunting. It was only nine o'clock when she found she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer.

**A/N: Sorry it took so long for this chapter, i kept getting sidetracked lol. I want to thank everyone who has sent me reviews, I appreciate each and every one of them.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51 ~ The Mystery Cure

The second day of work was a little slower than the first. Vella had quickly realized none of her vampire powers, especially compelling, were going to work. She figured the staff must be ingesting vervain. She just hoped they wouldn't try giving her some, that wouldn't turn out too well for any of them. She still had her magic, wish she hoped she wouldn't need but was glad to have it just in case.

The clinic just seemed be a normal average clinic like any other. Patients came in, got looked at and left. If it wasn't for the mysterious door, Vella thought she would just give up and go home.

After an entire week of work, she still hadn't figured anything out and it was really bothering her. She had to remind herself many times that it wouldn't just happen overnight.

The clinic wasn't open over the weekend, so Vella surprised Damon by showing up at home early on Saturday morning. They pretty much spent the entire weekend in their bedroom, except when they needed to shower and eat.

Monday morning, Vella showed up to work early, hoping to find out some information. Instead she found the doctor coming out from the locked room. He gave Vella a smile, which wasn't quite friendly. In fact, it sent a shiver down her spine.

"Good morning, Doctor Clark," Vella said sweetly and smiled.

"Good morning, Ms. Evans," he greeted. "How come you're in so early this morning?"

Vella knew he was going to ask. "I couldn't sleep so I thought I would see if you needed help with something." She paused and then mumbled. "It's kind of lonely in the hotel room."

"How was your weekend?"

Vella had a feeling he was going to ask this too, he wasn't stupid. "It was - fine."

"It doesn't sound fine. Are you okay?"

If Vella hadn't known better, she might have thought his concern was genuine.

"Oh, well, it's nothing really. Just had some legal stuff to deal with. My divorce and all."

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. It's not too bad, just really - sad."

Doctor Clark nodded his head slightly and smiled supportively.

"I do have some restocking that needs to be done. If you wouldn't mind?"

Vella agreed, hoping to find out more about the door. She tried listening, but either he was suspicious or she was too late. She couldn't tell if he suspected anything, which was incredibly frustrating.

The week went by way too quickly and uneventful for Vella. She knew she couldn't visit Damon again, in case the doctor was suspicious, which made her weekend feel extra long. She spent most of the time reading or watching tv and she was completely and utterly bored.

The third week began like the others, boring and uneventful. Everyone around the clinic had become comfortable with Vella's presence. So much so, they talked like they would if they had no secrets. Of course, they never spoke about anything in front of her, but they didn't realize she could hear them even at a distance.

On Wednesday, Doctor Clark was short handed again. He had no choice but to ask Vella to assist him.

Vella watched as he took his mystery cure and injected it into a cancer patient. He promised the woman that by the next day she would be completely cancer free. What she only learned later, was the woman had to pay a huge fee to get this cure.

After the patient left, Vella examined the syringe. She immediately knew the smell of it. Something she had more than enough experience with, vampire blood.

Fear ran through her suddenly like a cold shiver. She had no clue how or where he was getting the blood from. She was pretty sure he wasn't a vampire himself, she would have sensed it after all this time. But if he wasn't, then where was he getting the blood? More than ever, Vella knew she had to be careful.

When she got home that evening, she called Damon's cell phone, but he didn't answer. She tried again a few more times that night and still no answer. Her worry began to get the best of her, so she called Stefan.

"Hello?"  
"Hey, Stefan."

"Is everything okay, Vella?"

"Not exactly," she said, worry shaking her voice even though she tried hard not to let it. "Do you know where your brother is?"

"He's fine. The mayor had something for him to do. I'm sorry, Vella."

"What are you sorry for?"

"I was supposed to call and tell you. I didn't mean for you to worry."

"Oh, well I know he can take care of himself, I just - um - nevermind."

"If it's not Damon, then what's wrong?"

"No, don't worry about it, it's not your problem. Just tell Damon to call me."

"Vella, please? If you need help let me know. Damon would never forgive me if I didn't help you."

She sighed. "I don't need help, just someone to talk to."

"I'm here for you."

Vella did her best to explain to Stefan what she had discovered about the mystery cure.

"I will try and get a hold of Damon for you, ok? Don't do anything until I talk to him."

"I won't Stefan," she paused. "And thank you, for being such a great friend."

"Take care of yourself, Vella."

Vella hung up and tried Damon's phone again, but still nothing. She put her phone down on the nightstand and poured herself a drink. She thought she might go crazy if she sat and worried much longer.

Vella woke up the next morning to her alarm going off. She didn't even remember falling asleep the night before, she had gotten so drunk. Now it was late and she realized she hadn't hunted. She jumped in the shower, got dressed and was ready to leave, when she realized it was now way too late and she didn't have time to feed. Against her better judgement, she decided to go to work anyway.

It was a slow day and it seemed to drag on for Vella. She had to leave at lunch to hunt or she thought she would go out of her mind. It had been way too long since she had been in the company of so many humans when she was so hungry, and she wasn't about ready to test her willpower now.

At the end of the day, Vella went back to the hotel. She was surprised by a man standing in the shadows near her doorway when she arrived.

"What are you doing here, Stefan?" she asked annoyed.

"I was worried so I thought I would check on you - for Damon."

Vella nodded but didn't say anything else, she was too irritated to be calm at the moment. She unlocked her hotel room door, holding it open for Stefan and then followed him in closing the door.

"You can stay here tonight, but you're leaving in the morning," she said and threw her keys and purse on the table by the door.

"If you want me to leave I will go."

Vella pursed her lips. "No. You drove all this way, you can stay here tonight."

Stefan nodded and sat on the couch, while Vella went and changed into other clothes. When she came out of the bathroom, Stefan was watching tv.

"So, you came because of Damon huh?"

"Well, he didn't ask me to come."

Vella rolled her eyes. I knew it, she thought.

"Why did you come then?"

Stefan shuffled around on the couch a bit. "You sounded like you needed someone."

Vella wanted to be angry with him, but she really wasn't. She was irritated and frustrated, but not angry. In fact, she thought it was kind of sweet, of course she would never admit that.

It was the first enjoyable night Vella had spent in Raleigh. She played cards with Stefan, watched tv and just talked. She left for a short time to hunt, before getting ready for bed.

"You can sleep in the bed with me Stefan, its a huge bed," she rolled her eyes at him. "Just stay on your side," then she laughed. "Remember I'm stronger than you."

Stefan laughed uncomfortably and got in to the total opposite side of the bed from Vella. "You don't have to worry about me."

Vella laughed. "I know, or I would make you sleep on the couch."

The next morning, Vella got dressed and made sure Stefan drove off before she headed to work. She had a really bad feeling when she woke up which continued when she got arrived at the clinic. She wasn't sure why but it nagged at her the entire day. She was happy to leave work that day and relax in her room. But even though she was in her one safe place, she didn't feel that way. The nagging feeling just wouldn't go away.

Vella wasn't sure why, but she called Stefan's phone. He didn't answer. If not for the nagging feeling she would have stopped at that. She tried Damon's phone, but he still wasn't answering either.

As a last resort, she called Elena's phone. She answered on the first ring.

"Hello?"

"Elena. It's Vella."

"Vella? Have you heard from Stefan?"

"What?"

"Stefan said he was going to see you. To make sure you were okay."

"He left this morning. He should be home already."

"I went to the boarding house this afternoon and he wasn't there and he's not answering his phone," Elena replied, sounding slightly hysterical.

Vella was quiet for a moment, thinking. "Listen, Elena. Don't go anywhere today. Stay by the phone."  
"What's going on?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"I don't know Elena, but I'm going to find out. I need a favor though."

"Anything."

"Keep trying Damon's phone. If you get a hold of him, tell him to come to Raleigh right away."

"Of course," she said hesitantly. "Is Stefan in trouble?"

Vella sighed. "I hope not."

"But..."

"I gotta go. Sorry Elena," Vella said and hung up the phone.

Vella tucked her phone into the pocket in her pants, grabbed her keys and ran out the door, locking it. She headed down to the clinic without even realizing where she was going, it was the direction her feet took her. She stopped as she got to the building behind the clinic, listening for sounds. At first she heard nothing, but then she heard two voices.

_"Where did you catch this one?" Vella recognized this as Doctor Clark's voice._

_"He was sniffing around here." This was the voice of a man Vella didn't recognize._

_"Is he in the room?"_

_"Yep. And incapacitated too. He was a weakling compared to the easy. It almost wasn't - fun."_

_The doctor sighed. "This isn't about fun, it's about money."_

_"Whatever."_

_"Just get out of here. I will deal with him in a few."_

Vella listened as the two men walked away. She waited until she heard their cars roar to life and drive away before moving from her place of concealment.

She walked up to the back door of the clinic, listening to see if anyone was around. The sun was beginning to set so it was mostly quiet around the street. She grabbed the door knob and pushed against the metal door with all her strength, until the frame of the door began to bend. She grabbed the door knob with both hands and pulled the door out of the frame, slamming it down in the alley.

Vella walked in the doorway, staring down a long corridor with a door at the end of it. She walked down the hall, stopping at the door, listening. She couldn't hear anything, so she did the same to this door as she did to the outer door, only it took less effort since this was a wooden door frame.

Vella stood at the door gasping at what she saw in this room. It was a large room that looked much like any other room in the clinic, only it was filled with gurneys. After a quick count, she counted twelve gurneys. Three of them had bodies strapped to them.

Vella felt her breath catch in her throat as she realized who one of the bodies were, Stefan. She ran to Stefan. Standing beside him, she shook him calling his name. It was then she noticed the IV attached to the main artery in his arm. It was draining his blood into a bag. The same kind that they used when people were donating blood.

Vella wore a look of disgust on her face as she ripped the IV from Stefan's arm. She turned and noticed the same thing on the other bodies, though they were both gray and desiccated, they looked dead.

Vella turned her attention back to Stefan, first ripping off the straps that were holding him to the gurney and then she tried shaking him again, calling his name. Still nothing. She was paying too much attention to Stefan, to notice that someone was walking down the long corridor towards the room. But she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up when the person walked through the doorway.

"I thought there was something - odd about you," said Doctor Clark.

"And here I thought I was going to have to hunt you down - Josh," Vella hissed his name as she turned to face him.

"Do you really think I can't handle myself against _your_ kind?" he said with disdain.

Vella laughed dryly. "You don't know my kind."

Josh narrowed his eyes. "Well I won't say you didn't surprise me. You have an abundance of self control around blood for a vampire, don't you?"

Vella smiled evilly. "I could make an exception in your case."

A smirk spread slowly across Josh's lips. "I wouldn't taste too good to you."

"Who says I wanted to taste it?"

The smile on his face faded quickly, replaced with a look of apprehension. "Regardless, you aren't getting out of here - I would say alive but..." he trailed off.

He was quick, but not quick enough. The doctor pulled a gun from his waist and shot at Vella. She moved out of the way just slightly, the wooden bullets almost grazing her.

Vella growled loudly. "Try it again. This time I won't move."

Josh laughed, but it was an uncomfortable laugh. He took aim, this time planning to shoot in more than one direction, but his arm froze.

Vella looked at him, her eyes almost glazing over. Suddenly he was freaking out, yelling in pain even though he wasn't moving.

"What the hell are you doing to me?" he yelled, frightened.

Vella smiled evilly again. "I told you didn't I? You don't know _my_ kind."

"What the hell are you?"

Vella laughed evilly. Her eyes unfocused for a quick second before focusing again. Suddenly all of the syringes in the room were floating in the air, pointing at the doctor. His panicked screaming made Vella laugh louder.

"Too bad you won't live long enough to learn your lesson," she said coldly.

The doctor began begging for his life, but Vella just stared blankly. Suddenly the syringes flew towards him, striking him in various places on his body. He fell backwards, screaming and writhing on the floor in agony. Vella walked over to him, squatting beside him.

"You don't screw with my family," she whispered. "You're lucky this is all you're getting for what you've done. Do you even realize how many vampires you accidentally created?" Then in a blur, she hooked the doctor up with an IV and began draining his blood.

"It's a shame I couldn't be the one to drain you of your life, but this is the next best thing," she said smiling evilly. She stood up then and watched the life drain from him. It was more enjoyable than she had ever imagined it could be, without doing it herself. Once his heart stopped beating, she was able to tear herself away from his body.

Vella walked over to Stefan again, trying to wake him, but he still wasn't moving. Without thinking, she bit her wrist and moved it up to his lips, making him drink it. She knew it wasn't as good as human blood, but it would help.

It was only a minute later when Stefan began to stir. He opened his eyes and smiled at Vella.

"Don't talk," she said with concern as she helped him sit up.

Stefan nodded and tried to stand up, but he fell back. Vella caught him, putting her arm around him in support.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Vella nodded and went to help him up. Instead, he pulled her towards him and began to kiss her.

Vella was too shocked to think for a moment. She let the kiss go on for far too long, before pulling away. She looked at Stefan in stunned silence, not knowing what to say. Stefan just looked at her apologetically.

"Let's get out of here," she said and helped Stefan up from the gurney.

Stefan was too weak to stand on his own, so he leaned heavily on Vella as they walked out of the building. They came face to face with the other man the doctor had been working with, just as they walked out the door.

Vella set Stefan down quickly but gently, and chased the man. It was a quick chase, but enjoyable all the same.

"Where do you think you're going?" Vella inquired acidly as she hung him from his shirt, his feet dangling only an inch above the ground.

"N..n...nooo..where," he mumbled in fear.

Vella didn't even think. She tore his throat out quickly, drinking his blood until his heart stopped beating. She then wiped the blood from her stained face on his shirt. She turned to look at Stefan, who was looking at her with disapproval.

"What? Did you want some too?" she asked sarcastically.

Stefan turned his nose up, shaking his head. Vella rolled her eyes and picked Stefan up off the ground, wrapping her arm around his back. He leaned on her while she ran as fast as she could, through the dark streets, to her hotel room.

Once she managed to get the hotel door open, she helped Stefan to the couch and sat down beside him. She laid her head back against the couch for a quick second, not realizing how tired she was and fell asleep before she knew it.

**A/N: I hope this chapter was ok. I thought I could have added more, though not sure what lol. I will try and update as soon as I can. Please review.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52 ~ Turmoil

Vella opened her eyes quickly, to find a beautiful dark blue pair of eyes only inches from hers, staring at her with concern.

"Damon!" she mumbled excitedly. She knew his eyes anywhere.

Damon smiled at her happily. "How are you feeling?"

Vella wiggled around a bit, thinking. "Not as good as you are I'm sure."  
Damon laughed slightly then sat beside her, pulling her body against his tightly, his arms around her. "I was so worried about you."

Vella pulled out from his embrace slightly to look in his eyes. "Worried about me?"

"Yes," he said, shaking his head and smiling like she had said something silly.

Vella realized suddenly what had happened before she had fallen asleep. She looked around confused. "Where's your brother?"

Damon raised his eyebrow. "He's in the shower."

"Oh," she mumbled. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine - thanks to you."

Vella felt guilty. She remembered the kiss she shared with his brother and she wasn't sure whether Damon knew about it. She knew she was being crazy, it wasn't like he could read minds or anything. She was also pretty sure Stefan wouldn't say anything...or would he?

Damon watched her while she seemed to be staring off into space. He was trying not to show how concerned he was, he didn't want her to get defensive. But he was worried.

"Vella, look at me," Damon demanded gently.

Vella blinked her eyes once and looked into Damon's eyes. "What?"

"What happened?"

Vella looked down and away for a quick moment, then back into his eyes. She explained everything that happened, except the kiss. If she decided to tell him, she didn't want it to be now.

"I'm glad you're fine, but it was dangerous."

Vella opened her mouth to protest, but Damon interrupted her.

"I know you can take care of yourself. But I still worry about you. It's because I love you so much." Vella smiled at him, causing him to smile. "But we do have a bit of a problem."

"Oh my God, what?" she asked in surprise.

"We need to get out of town. I did what I could to cover up what happened at that clinic, but cops showed up before I could do much."

Vella's eyes opened wide. "My records!"

Damon smiled supportively. "I managed to take care of that. No one will have proof you ever worked there."

Vella nodded her head a moment, then cuddled up to Damon, laying her head on his chest. It had been weeks since she had seen him and she just wanted to stay with him.

Damon wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head gently. He had questions for her, but he decided to wait. He didn't want to ruin this moment.

Stefan came out from the bathroom a few minutes later, apologizing for interrupting. He gathered his things and announced he was leaving to go back home.

Vella watched him, wanting to ask him if he was okay, but she was afraid that her voice might give away. Instead she nodded as he said goodbye.

"Can we go home?" she asked Damon.

Damon smiled at her brightly. "Definitely."

It was a long drive home for Vella. If she hadn't needed to drive, she would have spent the entire time in her head, which was a dangerous place for her to be right now. She felt guilty about the kiss, but she knew she shouldn't be. Stefan was the one who initiated it, not her. But she knew, the longer she kept it from Damon, the more he would think it was a big deal.

Damon wasn't suspicious, which made it slightly easier for Vella. He was just worried that she had over done it with the use of her magic. But also, he worried about her state of mind. She had killed a man and he knew that was probably bothering her.

After a long shower and a few stiff drinks, Vella was finally able to relax, thought just slightly. She laid, half sitting, in the bed she shared with Damon, waiting for him. She didn't have to wait long though, he appeared only a few minutes after she got comfortable.

"Feel better now that you've showered?" Damon asked as he laid, half sitting, in the bed beside her.

"Definitely," she said with a smile and took his hand in hers.

Damon curled his fingers around her hand, squeezing it gently. "I know you don't want me asking, but are you okay?" Vella rolled her eyes. "You killed two men. Are you okay with that?"

Vella stared at him pensively. Actually, I'm completely fine with it. No guilt whatsoever."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. Don't look at me like you don't believe it."

Damon pursed his lips in thought. "It's not that I don't think your telling me the truth."

"Then what?"

"I'm afraid your lying to yourself."

Vella looked at him with a slight smile. "I'm not. Actually, it was - intoxicating."

Damon's eyes narrowed. "Is this something I should be worried about?"

Vella smiled and chuckled slightly, rolling over to face him. She brushed his cheek lightly with her fingers then laid her hand on his chest. "Why should you worry? I am a vampire after all."

Damon rolled his eyes and sighed. "Thats not what I meant."

Vella looked at him seriously. "I'm fine with it. I won't lie and say that ripping that douchebag's throat out wasn't enjoyable. But I'm not about to go on a killing spree any time soon."

Damon's face relaxed, slowly forming a smile. He brushed his fingers along the side of her face, tracing along the side of her chin and brushing her lips. She quivered at his touch, moaning slightly. He leaned in and kissed her bottom lip, then grabbed it gently with his teeth. Vella wrapped her arm around him, pulling him tightly against her, digging her nails into his back. Damon moaned quietly, moving his lips down to her neck. Vella curled her fingers into his hair, and pushed his face to her neck, encouraging him to bite her. Damon didn't need coaxing, he knew what she wanted. He pierced her neck with his long, sharp fangs, drinking, enjoying her taste. In a blink, Vella pulled his face away from her neck by his hair, then pierced the skin on his neck with her fangs. Damon moaned as she drank, enjoying the sensation of having his blood drawn from his body. Vella smiled as she withdrew her fangs, pulling him towards her, kissing him deeply. Before Vella knew it, Damon had ripped her clothes off, had his pants pulled down and was on top of her. She smiled at him lovingly, stroking his face as he entered her, moaning loudly.

It was over much too soon for Vella. It seemed like it had been forever since she had been with Damon, even though it had only been two weeks. She laid in Damon's arms afterwards for a long time. She didn't want to ever move.

"You're buying me some new clothes, Mr. Salvatore," Vella said jokingly. "Those weren't cheap."

Damon laughed. "You mean you don't like the nude look?"

Vella looked at him horrified. "Uh, no."

Damon laughed again. "Well I do. But I'm not sure I want everyone else seeing you as I do. I am the jealous type after all."

Vella knew it was a joke, but somehow she couldn't laugh. She smiled weakly instead.

"You are so funny sometimes," Damon said misinterpreting her guilt for reluctance. "Of course I will replace your clothes."

Vella laughed and mock punched him on the arm. "Yes, you will, Mr. Salvatore."

Damon laughed and rolled over, wrapping his arms around her. He kissed her for a moment, then sat up. "I don't know about you, but I am starving."

Vella smiled at him. She was hungry but she had something else in mind.

"I'm not really that hungry, Damon. But if you want me to go with you I will."

"No, that's fine. I can go alone," he smiled at her. "We can go together later, when you're hungry."

Vella smiled and nodded as he kissed her lightly on the cheek and left the room. She waited until Damon had left the house, then walked downstairs into the livingroom.

Stefan was sitting on the couch when Vella walked in. He glanced at her quickly, nodded and went back to reading. Vella sighed impatiently and sat on the couch beside him, grabbing his book from his hands and throwing it on the floor.

"We need to talk and now."

Stefan eyed her, annoyed. "That was unnecessary."

Vella rolled her eyes. "I'm not sure how long Damon will be gone so just shut up for once."

Stefan nodded his head, pursing his lips.

"We need to talk about that kiss."

"What about it?"

Vella looked at him angrily. "Fine, I will talk then. I want to know why you did it. If you plan on telling your brother or Elena and...and..." She was so frustrated she could barely remember what it was she wanted to say. "What the hell, Stefan?"

Stefan looked at her pensively. He didn't really want to talk about this but he knew she wasn't going to give up.

"It didn't mean anything."

"You lie!"

"If I said it meant something, would it make you feel any better?"

Vella sighed. "No, but at least you wouldn't be lying."

Stefan looked in her eyes and reached out to grab her hands in his. "I told you once before, I don't think my brother deserves you."

Vella ripped her hands away from his. "Your point?" she asked acidly.

"I have feelings for you."

Vella narrowed her eyes at him, speaking with an edge. "You love Elena, correct?" He nodded. "And I love your brother. So you need to knock it off. I told you once before I am not Katherine and I won't play this game with you," she paused for a moment. "And most of all, I don't feel the same about you. You are my friend and my brother in law, that's it, end of story."

Stefan looked at her stoically. "I only have one question and then I will leave it at that." Vella rolled her eyes and nodded. "If it meant nothing, why didn't you stop it right away?"

Vella's eyes went wide in surprise. "I was just happy you were alive. I wasn't thinking."

Stefan snorted. "The lady dost protest too much."

Vella narrowed her eyes, looking at him with a dangerous look. "Are you going to tell Elena?"

"No. Are you going to tell Damon?"

"I don't know yet," she answered quietly. "Are you going to tell him?"

"Definitely not. He would tell Elena."

"Then we are at an impasse." Stefan nodded once, agreeing with her. "I won't bring it up again."

Stefan nodded again as Vella stood up from the couch. She walked towards the hallway entrance, then looked back at Stefan. "If Damon asks where I went, tell him I went to The Grill," she said and left the house.

It was getting dark outside when Vella arrived at The Grill. She sat at the bar, which was beginning to get crowded. She chose a seat with no one beside her, she wasn't in the mood to hear chit chat.

She ordered drink after drink, not slowing down until she had downed five shots of vodka. She wanted to forget her talk with Stefan and most of all, wanted to forget the kiss. She realized it was stupid to dwell on it, but for some reason she couldn't stop worrying about it. She tried telling herself it was nothing, but she knew it wasn't. If it had been the first time, maybe she could have let it go, but it wasn't.

Vella sighed and ordered a sixth shot of vodka, when Matt came and sat down on the stool beside her.

"Hey, Vella," Matt greeted her.

Vella turned her head to look at Matt and downed the shot the bartender had just placed in front of her. "Hey."

"Are you okay?"

Vella looked at him incredulously. "Why would you ask?"

Matt looked at her concerned. "You just seem, different."

Vella wanted to lash out at him, it was her first instinct, but she knew Matt was just trying to be helpful. That was who he was. He was too nice, she thought.

"You mean you don't often see me coming here to drown my sorrows?" she said with a mocking laugh.

Matt shook his head slightly. "No, you don't. Especially without Damon."

Well he had that right. She didn't normally leave the house to get drunk alone, but she didn't want to be there right now.

"I'm okay, Matt." she said and smiled. "Just a bit out of sorts. But thank you for your concern."

Matt smiled and nodded, taking her thank you as a cue to leave. He got up from the stool and went back to work.

Vella's mood was still lousy, but at least Matt made her smile for a moment. It was a nice distraction, it was too bad she couldn't think of anything else to distract her. She ordered another drink, hoping to drown her worries away.

It was about fifteen minutes later when she heard something that definitely distracted her, some kind of altercation between a man and a woman.

Vella got up from her stool and made her way outside, heading towards the voices. She prowled between two buildings about a block away from The Grill, still following the voices. She stopped when she got to the end of the building she was walking beside and looked down the alleyway. She could see the man, he was grabbing the woman roughly, the contents of her purse were scattered across the ground.

Vella walked into the alley, starting towards the man and woman. "You might want to let her go."

The man looked at her with an evil grin. "There's always fun for one more."

Vella walked up to the man, who automatically let go of the woman. "Get out of here, NOW!" she yelled at the woman, while not taking her eyes off the man.

"She's not going anywhere," the man said angrily and tried to slash at Vella with the knife he held in his other hand, while the woman ran as fast as she could out of the alley.  
Vella blocked the knife with her hand, the man looked stunned for a second, then tried to pull the knife away, but Vella had it gripped tightly in her hand.

"What the hell are you?" the man yelled.

Vella laughed evilly and let go of the knife. The man had been pulling it so hard when she let go, he fell backwards on the ground, the knife finding it's way into his arm.

Vella's head was swimming from the smell of the blood. It had been a while since she had fed and she was hungry, extremely hungry. She watched the man as he pulled the knife from his arm and stumbled to get up.

Run for it, her mind was crying. Just run for it, make it that much more exciting for me.

It was like the man could read her mind. He finally got to his feet and began running for the exit of the alleyway.

Vella wasn't thinking anymore, she had let her instincts take over. Her face had changed, her fangs were out and she chased down her prey easily. She caught him by the back of his shirt, whipped him around to face her and lunged for his throat. Her fangs penetrated the artery in his neck, where she drank and drank until there was no more blood, then threw his lifeless body to the ground.

It took a few seconds for Vella to realize what she had just done. She stood over the man's body, licking her lips, then wiped the blood from her mouth with the bottom of her shirt. She didn't feel bad. In fact, she felt good. She stalked back down the alleyway and left to go home.

**A/N: Sorry it was a short chapter, but I didn't want it to run too long. Plus this way it leaves you in suspense lol.**

**Thanks so much for reading!**


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53 ~ The Killer Among Us

Vella walked into the boarding house and immediately ran up to her room to change. After changing, she took her blood stained clothes and disposed of them. When she was finished, she walked down into the livingroom, poured herself a drink and sat down on the couch.

It wasn't long after she had sat down, that Damon walked into the house. He walked into the livingroom, poured himself a drink and sat on the couch next to Vella.

"I thought you had went to The Grill?"

"I did, but drinking alone isn't as much fun as I thought."

Damon looked at her curiously while he took a drink. "Are you really okay?"

Vella sighed exaggeratedly. "Will you stop asking me that. I'm fine."

Damon smiled apologetically then downed the rest of his drink. He got up and got another, sitting back down on the couch.

Vella finished her drink and set the glass on the table, then laid across the couch, laying her head on Damon's lap.

Damon smiled as he stroked Vella's hair. Neither of them felt the need to talk. They stayed like this awhile, eventually turning on the tv.

It was about an hour later, when someone knocked on the front door. Vella and Damon both wondered who it could be so late.

Vella got up and walked to the front door, opening it hesitantly. She wasn't happy to see who it was.

"Hello, Sheriff," Vella growled.

"Can I come in? I'm here on behalf of the mayor."

Vella sighed and invited her in. They both went to the livingroom where Damon was still sitting on the couch.

"Good evening, Liz. What brings you here at such a late hour?" Damon asked curiously.

Vella walked over to the couch and sat down beside Damon.

"The mayor asked me to come."

"Does this mean he told you what we are?" Damon asked.

"Yes," Liz answered hesitantly.

"He shouldn't have done that!" Vella hissed.

Damon put his hand on Vella's thigh to calm her down.

"I don't like this anymore than you do, Mrs. Salvatore."

Vella glared at Liz. "You don't have to be so formal."

"Sorry...Vella," Liz apologized shakily.

Vella chuckled very quietly. She was enjoying the fear coming from the sheriff. She was remembering the last time she had a run in with the sheriff.

"There was a man attacked tonight," Liz explained. "He had bite marks on his neck and was completely drained of blood. We were hoping you could look into it."

Damon nodded. "Of course, anything we can do."

Vella rolled her eyes as the sheriff began explaining the details of the attack. She knew the who, what, where, when and why and she could care less. The man was a criminal, a waste of space. No one would miss him. She was too deep in thought when Damon nudged her.

"Were you listening?"

"Sorry," she apologized to Damon. Then glanced at the sheriff with narrowed eyes. "I'm just hungry."

The sheriff looked uncomfortable. "I will check in with you tomorrow," she said and excused herself from the house.

Damon looked at Vella strangely. "Don't you think that was a little much?"

"You're kidding, right?" Vella said with her nose turned up. "Do you remember what she tried to do to me? What she did about...Tommy?"

Damon looked at her apologetically. "I know, I'm sorry," he said then smiled. "You just seem to pick up my habits more and more these days."  
Vella laughed slightly. "That isn't such a bad thing, is it?"

Damon smiled and leaned over to kiss her. He took his hand, putting it behind her head, curling his fingers into her hair and pulled her towards him, kissing her lips gently.

Vella kissed him back for a moment, then pulled back slightly. "Don't we have something to do?"

"Later," he said and smiled. "I've got something else in mind."

Vella grinned as he picked her up off the couch and carried her upstairs. They made love for a while, then fell asleep in each other's arms. They woke up early the next morning as the sun was just coming up.

Damon and Vella got out of bed and followed their normal routine. Showered, got dressed and into the kitchen for some coffee.

Vella was reading the paper when Stefan walked into the kitchen. She put the paper down, so he wouldn't see the headline, but Damon began to tell Stefan about the meeting with the sheriff before she could stop him. She put the paper in front of her again and secretly glowered at Damon and Stefan.

When Damon was done explaining to Stefan, he decided it was time for them to investigate. Vella wanted to stay home but she couldn't think of a valid excuse, so she went with them, albeit reluctantly.

As Damon and Stefan looked around the alleyway, Vella leaned against one of the walls watching them. She was trying to feign interest, but it was difficult for her to pretend. She had spent too many weeks pretending she was something she wasn't and she was tired of it.

Damon walked over to her and put his arm around her. "Do you see anything?"

"What do you want me to tell you? That it was a vampire?" she sighed. "You already know that."

"What's your problem, Vella?" Damon asked shortly.

"Why are we doing this?"

"You were the one who made the agreement with the mayor," he reminded her.

Vella narrowed her eyes. "Should I have let him kill us all instead?"

"What are you talking about?"

Vella was practically seething as she spoke. "I could have let the mayor kill me, you and your brother. We could have left town too, but no we couldn't do that, could we? We had to stay here because of Elena. So I did what I had to. So don't go blaming this all on me."

Damon put his hands on her shoulders, staring into her eyes. "You need to calm down, Vella," he said quietly.

"I don't have to do anything."

"Is this all about the sheriff, or something else?"

Vella glared at him but didn't answer.

"Vella, please. You swore everything was okay."

Vella knocked his arms off of her shoulders and looked at him angrily. "Everything will never be okay, Damon. I'm dead, remember?"

Damon felt like he just had the breath knocked out of him at her words. She had always told him she had come to terms with her death and she didn't blame him, but now he knew better.

Vella didn't stick around to see how she had hurt Damon. She left the alleyway and headed out of town.

As she was almost out of town, Vella heard some voices yelling. She followed the voices to the backyard of a ratty old house, where a man was yelling at a woman. She watched as the man slapped the woman across the face, tears running down her face. She had bruises and cuts all over her body.

Vella couldn't sit and watch this any longer. She sped over to the man and lunged at his throat. In an instant, she sunk her teeth into him and drank until his heart stopped. She used the man's shirt to wipe her face then threw him to the ground.

The woman was standing there shaking like a leaf. She was too afraid to move.

Vella walked up to the woman and compelled her to forget, then stood over the man's body. She knew she needed to get rid of his body, but she didn't really feel like it. She changed her mind and compelled the woman again, this time with a story and then headed back to the boarding house.

Vella was sitting on the bed in her room when Damon and Stefan came back home. She wasn't looking forward to seeing Damon after she had hurt him, but she had to, the sooner the better.

Damon walked into the bedroom with a long face. He sat on the bed beside Vella with his head down. "I'm sorry."

Vella looked at him shocked. "Look at me, Damon," she demanded. Damon looked at her. "This isn't your fault. What I said, I'm sorry. I didn't even mean it."

"Yes, you did," he mumbled.

"No!" she said adamantly. "I'm just frustrated and having a hard time dealing with it."

Damon looked at her and smiled supportively. "It's still partially my fault. I should have known you were being brave, trying to downplay what happened in Raleigh, it's what you do."

She raised her eyebrow. "It sounds like you're calling me stupid again."

Damon sighed loudly and took her hands in his. "No, but you're being silly again." Vella narrowed her eyes. "You know you can tell me anything, right? So there is no reason to hide from me. I love you no matter what."

"No matter what, huh?" Damon nodded. "Even when im being neurotic?" she asked with a smirk.

Damon laughed. "We're vampires my love, we're all neurotic."

Vella chuckled slightly. She knew that was pretty close to being true. If only he knew how she really felt right now. She was tired of the self control, she was tired of denying her desires, tired of denying her vampire self. She knew what he would say if she told him. He would say she was losing her grip on humanity. But she didn't think it was just that. It seemed like the power coursing through her, was fighting with her vampire powers in some kind of power struggle. A struggle she was afraid to lose. She imagined that was why there were no vampires with witch powers, they were probably driven mad.

Damon pulled Vella to him and wrapped her arms around her, her head on his chest. He held her for a few moments, before he was interrupted by his cell phone going off.

Damon sighed and put his phone up to his ear. "Hello?"

Vella rolled her eyes as she listened to the conversation.

"I'm sorry to call, Damon. I wouldn't have if it wasn't important." It was Sheriff Forbes.

"What is it?"

"There's been another attack."

Damon wanted to ask why she hadn't called Vella's phone instead, but he figured he knew the answer and didn't want to upset her.

"Where?"

The sheriff gave Damon the details, then let him go. He looked at Vella. "You heard?"

"Yup."

Damon looked at her seriously. "Did you want to stay here?"

Vella thought about it for a minute. "If you don't mind, I would like to stay here."

Damon smiled at her supportively. "Sure thing. I will take my brother instead."

When Damon and Stefan left the house, Vella went down into the livngroom, flipped on the tv, poured herself a drink and sat on the couch. She decided she would just drink until she felt better.

Damon and Stefan came home about an hour later. They walked in the room to find Vella passed out on the couch.

Damon decided not to disturb her, instead he and Stefan each sat on a chair and began to talk.

"Well we know it's a vampire that did this, but why did they only take some of his blood?" Stefan pondered.

"I don't know, its all very...odd," Damon replied.

"What was the story the woman gave the police?" Stefan asked.

"She said her husband was hitting her, then an animal came out of the woods and attacked him."

"That sounds so strange."

"I know, Stefan."  
"What worries me Damon, is that whoever is doing this doesn't seem to care about hiding the bodies."

Damon shook his head and then went quiet. He didn't know what to make of this anymore than his brother did.

The next few days brought more deaths. The police were baffled by the choice in victims, all male and all were criminals in the act of commiting a crime.

"Seems we are looking for a vampire with a conscience," Stefan said to Damon one morning, while they were in the kitchen having coffee.

"The only one of those I know is in the kitchen with me," Damon said sarcastically, chuckling.

Stefan glared at him. "We need to be serious about this."

"What are you suggesting brother?"

Stefan was about to say something, when Vella walked in.

"Good morning," she greeted the men and poured herself a coffee. "What's new?" she asked then walked over to the table.

Damon stood up, wrapped his arms around Vella and kissed her for a moment. "Good morning, love," he greeted her, then they both sat down.

"We were just talking about the murders," Stefan said.

"That always makes for cheery morning conversation," Vella snorted.

Stefan was about to say something, but Damon had a murderous look on his face. Instead he left the room.

"What did you say you were up to today, Vella?" Damon asked curiously.

"I'm going to see Jenna," she replied, taking a sip of her coffee. "She wants to start planning her wedding."

Damon chuckled. "They finally nail down a date?"

Vella shrugged. "Not sure. I haven't had a chance to talk to her much lately."

Damon smirked. "Well have fun."

"Yeah, right," Vella said and rolled her eyes. "I will see you later." She got up from the table, put her coffee cup in the kitchen sink and then gave Damon a goodbye kiss before leaving.

Damon sighed and walked into the livingroom where his brother was waiting for him.

"What is it, Stefan?"

"We need to talk," he replied seriously.

Damon narrowed his eyes at Stefan. By the look on his face, he could tell he wasn't going to want to know what he had to say. "Make it quick."

"I have an idea on who this vampire is," Stefan said nervously.

"And?"

"You're not going to like it."

Damon narrowed his eyes in a dangerous glare. "Speak those words and they will be your last..._brother_!"

Stefan sighed but went on. "You have to admit that she's been acting strangely."

"Stefan!" Damon growled.

"She's been withdrawn, secretive and very emotional."

Damon bit his lip and glared at his brother angrily. "She's not a killer."

"She's a vampire, Damon. We're all killers."

Damon lost his temper and ran at Stefan, who was prepared for his brother's attack. He moved out of the way before Damon could hit him.

"Think about it, Damon," he said, breathing heavily. "They were all criminals. It's her way of justifying it to herself."

Damon stood still glaring at Stefan. He was absolutely seething with anger. But the last words he had said, hit home for Damon. He had to admit that what his brother was saying was true. He suddenly felt sick and nearly fell into the chair he was sitting beside. "It can't be her, Stefan. It just can't be Vella doing all of this."

Stefan walked over to his brother hesitantly and laid his hand on his shoulder in support, while Damon hung his head in his hands.

"I don't want to believe it either," Stefan whispered.

They were quiet for a minute, when Damon stood up suddenly.

"Let's go follow her. Then I can prove it to you...and me that it isn't her." Damon said it with as much conviction as he could muster.

Stefan nodded in agreement and followed Damon out the door, but not before making a quick phone call.

Damon and Stefan hid outside on either side of the Gilbert's house, waiting for Vella to leave.

It was about an hour wait before Vella left the house, with the brothers following at a safe distance behind her.

It looked like there wasn't going to be anything to see, when suddenly they saw Vella taking off super speed in a different direction than towards the boarding house.

Damon and Stefan followed Vella behind some warehouses, where she laid in wait for something they couldn't see, but they could hear. The voices were of several men, who seemed to be making a large drug deal.

"We can't let her hurt them," Stefan whispered so quietly even Damon could barely hear.

Damon turned to glance at his brother with a dangerous look, then turned back to watch.

"Damon," he said pleadingly.

Damon spoke quietly without looking at his brother. "Until I see it happen with my own eyes, I won't believe it."

Stefan turned back to watch without uttering another word.

Vella was crouched low beside the warehouse, waiting for her moment. She was exhilarated, hungry and impatient, but she was waiting until the drug deal was complete.

As soon as she saw the money and drugs exchanged, Vella ran as fast as she could behind the warehouse, lunging at the man carrying the drugs. She got him by the throat and began to drain the life from him. But her thrill was short lived when she heard someone calling her name.

Vella snapped the man's neck killing him, then stood staring into the eyes of her husband.

"Vella?" was all Damon could say, his voice trembling.

Vella looked at Damon apologetically and then sped towards the man who had sold the drugs. She barely dodged Stefan, who tried to grab her but missed. She managed to catch the man by the arm, swinging him around so she could tear his throat out. By the time she finished, both Damon and Stefan were standing on either side of her.

"Vella," Stefan called calmly. "You need to come home with us."

Vella glared at him with a deadly look, blood dripping from her mouth.

"Vella, please?" Damon pleaded. "We can talk about this. We can fix this."  
"Fix this? Like it's some kind of disease?" Vella snorted. "I'm just doing what a vampire does."

"This isn't you, love."

"How would you know, Damon? No one ever allowed me to follow my vampire instincts before."

"We don't want to have to hurt you, but we will," Stefan said.

Vella laughed maniacally. "As if _you_ could stop me, squirrel boy."

"We can," Damon stated.

Vella smiled evilly and then suddenly both brothers were writhing in pain, each screaming in pain with their hands to their heads.

"You seem to forget I have something you can't possibly stop."

Suddenly, Vella fell forward on to the ground in front of her, unconscious.

**A/N: I only proof read this chapter once so I hope i didn't miss any typing errors. Hopefully i will have the next chapter finished soon.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54 ~ The Better Brother?

Damon and Stefan stood up slowly, opening their eyes. They saw Alaric standing by Vella, vervain darts in hand.

"I guess I showed up just in time," Alaric said with a smirk.

Damon gave him a dirty look and ran to squat beside Vella's unconscious body.

"You're welcome," Alaric said sarcastically.

Damon turned to glare at him, before turning his attention back to his wife.

"Thank you, Alaric," Stefan said while patting him on the back once. We couldn't have done this without you."

"I never realized how powerful she had become," Alaric said.

Damon picked up his wife's body. Looking at his brother he told him he would meet him at the boarding house, then ran off towards home.

"Can you help me clean this mess up?" Stefan asked. "Maybe we can sweep this one under the rug. I don't want the mayor to think we aren't doing our job."

"Sure thing."

Damon placed Vella's unconscious body down on the cot in the basement and then slumped on the floor against the cot. He wasn't sure how long it was before his brother came into the basement.

Stefan stood on the other side of the iron door looking at his brother sadly. "Are you going to stay in there with her, Damon?"

Damon looked up at his brother but didn't reply.

"Damon?"

"Just get out of here, Stefan," Damon grumbled.

"I'm not leaving you alone."

Damon got up from the floor and walked over to the bars, glaring at his brother. "I would rather be alone right now."

Stefan sighed impatiently. "She's too dangerous."

"She's my wife!" Damon growled.

"That doesn't make her any less dangerous," Stefan said quietly.

Damon was seething with rage. He didn't want to believe what his brother was saying. He wanted to believe his love for her would conquer all, but that only happened in fairy tales and cheesy chick flicks. It took him several minutes to calm down enough to speak to his brother.

"I don't think she will hurt me, but if she does then I will handle it."

"Damon, please. Be reasonable."

"Love is not reasonable, brother. How would you feel if this was Elena?"

Stefan narrowed his eyes slightly. "That's not fair."

"Yes, it is," Damon mumbled as he heard Vella moan and turned in her direction. She was still unconscious so he turned his attention back to his brother. "You are always willing to help people, why is Vella any different?"

Stefan shrugged. "I never said I didn't want to help her."

"Then what?"

Stefan looked at his brother apologetically. "Did you ever think that the problem...is you?"

Damon looked at Stefan incredulously. "Are you kidding me?"

"No."

"I should rip your head off for suggesting such a thing," Damon said angrily, staring at his brother with a deadly look.

Stefan nodded his head. "Yes, you should."

"What did you say?"

"You should rip my head off. It's nothing less than I deserve."

Damon stared at his brother confused. "What's going on?"

Stefan shook his head. "No, not here. We can talk about it upstairs."

Damon studied his brother carefully, then reluctantly unlocked the gate, walked out and locked it again. He took a backwards glance at Vella, then walked up stairs with his brother.

Stefan paced a few steps back and forth, while his brother watched impatiently.

"Spill it, _now_!" Damon demanded.

Stefan glanced at his brother then looked down slightly, avoiding his eyes. He wanted to blurt it out but he just couldn't.

"Don't make me beat it out of you!" Damon threatened.

Stefan looked at his brother. "Vella deserves much better than you."

Damon's eyes narrowed. "You mean someone like you?" he asked acidly.

Stefan nodded his head slightly.

"You think you would be good for her?" Damon was laughing more than angry, he found it so amusing. "How do you think she would feel about that?"

"She doesn't. She's too blinded by her misguided love for you."

Damon narrowed his eyes angrily. "You're lucky I don't tear you limb from limb right now." Then he stopped to think. "How do you know how she feels?"

"I asked her, the day of your wedding."

"You did what?"

Stefan looked at him with a straight face. "She married you, didn't she?"

Damon gave his brother a dirty look and turned around.

"I'm not done," Stefan said, watching his brother turn around.

"I don't have time for this, Stefan."

Stefan looked at Damon, preparing for what would happen next. "I kissed her."

Damon's eyes went wide in shock, his hand went up with one finger extended, his mouth wide open to say something, but nothing would come out. He put his hand back to his side and shook his head lightly. "I have more important things to deal with right now." He turned around and walked a few steps, then turned to face his brother again. "I will deal with you later..._brother_," he put emphasis on brother, then went into the basement.

Damon locked himself inside the heavy iron door again, slumping on the ground in front of the cot Vella was laying on. He was thinking about the last time he had locked her down here. This time was much different than the last. He hadn't immediately known why she was acting crazy last time, but when he found out she was being possessed, it made sense. This time though, he had no idea what had set her off and why. From the moment she had tasted human blood, she had been able to control herself. He had never seen another vampire in the world with as much self control as she had, yet here he was, locking her up again. He didn't even think it was such a big deal. It wasn't like she had been killing innocent people, these were criminals. The only issue was not hiding the bodies, in his opinion.

Damon's mind suddenly did a 360 in the opposite direction. Maybe Stefan was right, maybe he was the problem. If he hadn't encouraged his behaviors. If he hadn't been so nonchalant about everything, maybe this could have been avoided. He decided he would do what was best for Vella, whatever that may be.

It was several hours later when Vella began to stir. Instantly, Damon was kneeling beside her, helping her into a sitting position.

Vella sat awkwardly on the cot, swaying slightly. The vervain hadn't completely left her body yet. Her eyes would open and close as she fought hard to stay awake. When she could get her eyes to focus, she looked at her surroundings.

"I'm in trouble again," Vella mumbled. It wasn't a question.

"Shhh, don't talk right now," Damon said gently, sitting on the cot next to her.

Vella laid her head against Damon's side, who put his arm around her. They stayed still for a very long time, neither knowing what to say to the other.

Vella broke the silence first. "I'm sorry."

Damon lifted her chin up so he could look her directly in the eyes. "What are you sorry for?" he asked, staring into her sad eyes.

Vella pursed her lips, thinking. "I'm sorry for disappointing you."

Damon put his arms around her, pulling her tightly to him. He wasn't exactly disappointed in her, he was disappointed in himself. "You haven't disappointed me, love," he said gently.

"Yes, I have. And you are sweet for not admitting it."  
Damon snorted slightly. "I am not sweet."

Vella nestled herself against Damon's body even tighter. She just wanted to disappear. Of all the people she had ever cared about, Damon was the one she hoped to never disappoint. No matter how much he denied it, she wouldn't believe she hadn't hurt him.

Damon untangled Vella from himself, making her sit up facing him. "I know how you are, you won't believe me when I tell you that I'm not disappointed. But I'm not. "I'm disappointed in myself. This is my fault. The whole thing."

"Wait, what?" Vella asked confused. "Why would any of this be your fault?"

"I never should have let you follow my path. I should have tried to get you to be more..." he trailed off.

"More what? What are you talking about?" she asked frustrated and even more confused.

"Stefan was right."

"Stefan? What does he have to do with this?" she asked furiously.

"He was right about you and me. You can do so much better than me. I should have let you go and been unselfish, but I loved you too much."

Vella put her hands on either side of his face forcing him to look into her eyes. "He is _wrong_! You are who I want, who I need."

"I am not who you need. You would be better off with someone like him. You are good and kind and loving. I am none of those things."

Vella was practically seething as she spoke. "And your brother is? The same brother who waited until your wedding day to screw with my head? The same brother who kissed me and then tried to deny it meaning anything?" she calmed down slightly before going on. "At least you're not a liar."

Damon still looked sad, despite Vella's reassurances.

"Look, Damon. You are good and kind and loving," she grinned. "When you want to be." Damon went to open his mouth but Vella hushed him. "You are all of those things to me, always. I couldn't have found a better man. I was always stubborn and independant and there are even times I am silly." Damon grinned slightly. "But you have been here for me. Giving me what I want, what I need and when I needed it. You are so in tune with me Damon. How could we not be meant for each other?"

"But, Vella?"

"No. No buts. No one is perfect. Some of us, the ones who think they are, they are the ones farthest from perfect. Like your brother. Self righteous...But, forget him. This is about us."

Damon pulled Vella's hands from his face and got up from the cot. He began to pace slightly, turning away from Vella.

Vella sighed loudly, got up from the cot and stopped behind Damon, wrapping her arms around his waist tightly. "Enough of this...brooding. We need to talk about us."

Damon moved as delicately as it was a dance. He loosened Vella's arms from around his waist, turned to face her and wrapped his arms around her tightly. He laid his head against hers, tears forming in his eyes. "You're right. What am I going to do with you?"

Tears welled up in Vella's eyes as he spoke. She felt lost and out of control. But worst of all, she didn't know how to fix it.

"I don't know," she whispered, barely audible.

"Explain it to me. How do you feel before you...kill?"

"You want me to give you a reason, is that it?"

Damon released his grip on her and took her hand, leading her to the cot. He sat down and had her lay across the cot on her side with her head on his lap. He ran his fingers through her hair absent-mindedly.

"I don't want a reason. I want to know how you feel. What makes you want to kill? You never felt that way, even in the beginning."

Vella bit her lip thinking. She had never even thought of it before now. "It was instinct."

Damon chuckled slightly. "I know that, love. But you never gave in to any of that before. What's changed?"

"I don't know exactly. But being in Raleigh was strange. And after I killed that man, drinking all his blood, it just felt...right. Like it was natural for me."

"It is natural, it's what we are. But you were never, normal for a vampire," he chuckled slightly. "I could never understand that."

"You mean I didn't tell you?" she giggled. "Oops."

"Tell me what?" he asked confused.

Vella giggled again. "I meant to tell you. I guess I forgot."

Damon sighed impatiently as Vella turned on to her back so she could look in Damon's face.

"It was something I read in my mother's journals. There was a reason she was so...sympathetic towards vampires. How she knew them so well."

Damon's eyes opened wide in anticipation.

Vella laughed slightly at his reaction. "Well, it seems that, if, at the moment while a vampire is in transition, a human willingly offers them blood to complete their transition, then the sacrifice they make will keep the vampire from...completely losing their humanity."

"Seriously?"

"Yup. So when Elena offered her blood to me, she was doing me a huge favor."

Damon narrowed his eyes in confusion. "How did your mother know all this?"

"Experience."

Damon shook his head in confusion. "Experience? Was she a vampire?"

Vella laughed at the absurdity. "No, not at all. It was my dad."

"Your dad? But he was a..."

"A doctor, yup."

Damon shook his head again. "I don't get it. How do you know all of this?"

Vella sat up and smiled at him. "I took some of my mom's journals with me to Raleigh. I knew I was going to be bored and thought it was about time I read them."

"But I don't understand. He had you and your sister. Were you adopted?"

"No." Vella's eyes seemed to glaze over as she thought about the story. "It happened shortly after Violet was born. Gabriel and Lilith had shown up, trying to get into that tomb. They had followed us to the cabin one weekend. They caught my dad outside that night. Instead of killing him, I guess they thought turning him would give my mom more incentive to open it for them." Vella paused to choke back a couple of tears. "My mom was powerful. She managed to get them to leave. She called Mara's mother and asked her to babysit so she could deal with my father. She gave him her blood, even though he wanted to die."

"But how did your father manage to keep being a doctor?"

Vella smiled. "Somehow he was able to control his bloodlust. My mother wrote that her sacrifice was what did it. But after reading, it seems there was more."

"More, how?"

"I don't know. I never did read the whole journal. But she wrote that love and compassion was the key."

Damon grinned at her. "Now it sounds like some silly romance novel."

Vella rolled her eyes. "I know. But my father was able to continue his life as he always had. Whether it was love, compassion or even my mother, it still happened. If I hadn't read it, I would never have known."

Damon was about to say something, when he noticed the tears that had begun to flow down Vella's face. He wiped them gently with his thumb and kissed her softly, wrapping his arms around her.

Vella sobbed against his shoulder for a minute, before regaining her composure. "Someone found out the secret. That's why my mom hid her journals. I think someone on the council figured it out. I still have some to read, but I'm telling you this. If I find out who did it. They will pay."

Damon pushed her away slightly so he could look in her eyes sympathetically. "We can talk more about this later, love. Right now I need to know if you're okay."

Vella nodded assuredly. "I'm fine now. Or I will be."

Damon smiled back. "Then let's go upstairs."

**A/N: I know, it was a very short chapter, sorry about that. I just wanted to end it there. Let me know what you think, I'm not entirely happy with it.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55 ~ The Search for More Answers

Damon and Vella walked into the livingroom, hand in hand. Vella sat on the couch, while Damon poured them each a drink. Handing one to Vella, he sat down beside her.

"Mmm, this will help for now," Vella said after taking a sip.

Damon just smiled at her. He was completely ecstatic that she seemed to be back to normal. He knew it would take more than a talk, but he didn't intend on letting her out of his sight until he was sure she was fine.

Damon left for a few seconds, reappearing with a blood bag. "I thought you might need this," he said and smiled, handing her the bag.

Vella smiled gratefully and took the bag. She was extremely hungry, but it wasn't what she wanted. She wanted fresh blood. Regardless, she was hungry now and she wasn't sure if Damon would allow her to hunt for some time, so she opened it and drank all there was.

"Thanks," she smiled. "I needed that."

Damon smiled in return. "I thought that you might."

"So, answer a question for me, Damon," she said with a grin.

"What's that?" he inquired curiously.

"How do you know you can trust me?" she asked with a serious face.

Damon looked at her stoically for a moment, then smiled slightly. "I can see it in your eyes. Your conviction. Your belief that what you're telling me is the truth. I know I still have to watch you, but I know you will do your best to keep yourself under control."

"You believe in me that much?"

Damon nodded his head. "Of course." Vella smiled at his response. "I have a question for you now."

"Oh?" Vella said with surprise.

"Did the kiss between you and my brother really mean nothing to you?"

Vella rolled her eyes slightly and sighed. "Yes, it meant nothing. It took me by surprise more than anything."

"So you have no feelings for Stefan?"

"No more than friends and even that is pushing it right now."

Damon smiled for a second, then the front door opened and he watched Stefan walk in. His smile turned to a furrow. "Speak of the devil."

Stefan walked into the livingroom, but stopped just inside the doorway.

Vella ran vamp speed to Stefan, throwing him down on the ground, holding him by the throat. Her face had changed; the veins bulging, her skin grayed and her long, sharp fangs were threatening him just inches from his face.

"Don't you ever, tell your brother that he is not good enough for me. Don't ever say anything like that ever again, understand?" she demanded, hissing. Stefan made a garbled sound that sounded like a yes. "And last of all, don't forget I'm stronger than you even without my magic. If you ever make Damon feel bad about being with me again, he won't be able to stop what I will do to you."

Vella let Stefan go, her face changing back to normal, and gracefully walked back to the couch where Damon was standing, just watching. She grinned at him almost apologetically, but she wasn't really sorry.

Damon laughed quietly and handed Vella a drink. He was quite pleased to have witnessed that exchange, perhaps a little bit too pleased. He sat back down on the couch and pulled Vella on to his lap, who giggled loudly and almost spilled her drink.

"Do you know how much I love you?" Damon asked Vella. He pulled her close and began to kiss her slowly.

Stefan stood up, watching their exchange stoically. He shook his head slightly and without another word, went to his bedroom.

Vella pulled back and looked at Damon with a smirk. "You enjoyed that, didn't you?"

"Immensely," he said with a huge grin.

Vella smiled, finished off her drink then cuddled up to Damon. She felt great now that she was able to talk about everything that had been bothering her. But she hadn't realized how much the stuff she had learned about her parents had been bothering her until she had mentioned it. She desperately wanted to know who was responsible and she had some clues, but absolutely no proof. What she did know, was the person or people responsible would pay.

Vella spent the next few days with Damon. While he trusted that she would be okay, he really enjoyed spending every moment with her. He would never admit to anyone how lonely he had been while she was in Raleigh, not even to himself if he could help it.

They spent the time studying and reading mostly. Vella was desperate to find out more about her past, but she wasn't sure if she was missing some journals. It seemed there were holes in what her mother had written. But she looked everywhere; her old house, the storage unit, even the safe deposit box at the bank and still didn't find any. It was making her angry and frustrated. She thanked Damon every day for being her rock to lean on. She was pretty sure she might lose it if it wasn't for him.

Damon hated to sit by and watch the pain Vella was in and not be able to do anything about it. He did his best to assist in her search, but it seemed everything they tried only led to more questions.

Desperate for answers, Vella even resorted to asking help from Mayor Lockwood.

She stood in the mayor's home, casting a silent spell to keep him from lying to her. She wanted to trust him, but this was too important to her to leave to chance, she just hoped it would work. As much as her magic was a burden, she found it very useful at times she couldn't just use her vampire powers. She just tried not to rely on them.

The meeting with the mayor was pretty much a waste of time. He didn't seem to have too much information that Vella didn't already know. He did, however, have a few suggestions on who might know something. He did though, give her a warning to be careful while she was searching. Not everyone on the council could be as understanding as he is. Vella knew he meant that no one else knew about her, or Damon and his brother and they wouldn't be forgiving of either them or him if they found out.

One name stuck out among all of the rest of the names the mayor suggested, Jonathan Gilbert.

Vella remembered John, perhaps a bit too well. He was Grayson Gilbert's youngest brother and Elena and Jeremy's uncle. He also knew Vella's mother and father. She remembered him when she was younger. He was brash, arrogant and a creep. This seemed the most likely person to know something. The only problem was Vella didn't want to have to deal with him. She remembered some things that he had done and thinking of them made her angry.

When Vella got home after the meeting, she was sulking. She was irritable and cranky and really wanted to wallow in her own pity. But Damon wouldn't allow her to do that. Instead he wanted to do something to lift her spirits.

"Where are we going?" Vella asked Damon as they got into his car.

Damon grinnned conspiratorially. "Not until we get there."

Vella rolled her eyes mockingly. "That kind of defeats the purpose of asking _before_ we get there."

Damon chuckled. "I know."

Vella sighed and laid back in the passenger seat. She wanted to sulk, but she was too curious and mildly excited to find out where Damon was taking her to complain.

Damon smiled as he parked in the parking lot reserved for patrons of The Mystic Grill.

"You're taking me to The Grill?" Vella asked disappointed. "Seriously? This was the surprise?"

Damon grinned at her, while she crossed her arms defiantly. "I promise you won't be disappointed."

Vella snorted and rolled her eyes in annoyance. She wanted to sit in the car and sulk, but Damon's smile was infectious. It was difficult for her not to smile too. "Fine!" she sighed and got out of the car.

Damon grinned and got out of the car, walking over to her and taking her hand. Damon pulled her towards The Grill, feeling her grip loosen the closer they walked to the doors. He stopped right outside of the doors and turned to face her.

"I want you to promise me something now," he said with a slight grin visible through his serious stare.

Vella tilted her head to the side and rolled her eyes. "What?"

Damon took her face in his hands gently, staring into her eyes. "Promise me you will try to enjoy yourself."

"Okay," she said with a slight hesitation.

Damon took her hand again, leading her towards the doors with a bright smile on his face. He opened the doors, letting her walk through before him. They were only a few steps inside the doors when everyone in the room yelled, "Surprise!"

Vella jumped slightly and turned to face Damon. "What is this?"

Damon leaned closer and kissed her lightly once on the lips. "Happy Birthday, love."

Vella looked confused for a moment, but she had no time to ask Damon anything right now. She was suddenly surrounded by a throng of people clammoring to hug her and wish her a happy birthday. She hugged and thanked them all before being ushered to sit at the table reserved for her.

As she sat down, Vella noticed that they had moved the smaller tables into one larger, longer table. Not everyone could fit at the large table, the rest sat in booths along side the table. She was happiest to see Mara, David and little Anthony on the left side of the table beside her, with Matt and Caroline. Damon sat on her right, along with Stefan, Elena, Alaric, Jenna, Jeremy and Bonnie.

Many of her friends, from her previous life, as she referred to it, were here along with her new family and friends. She didn't even have to fake how happy she was for Damon, because she was actually happy.

Vella was finally able to talk to Damon alone, when it was time for dancing. It never took much coaxing to get him on the dance floor, all she had to do was ask.

Vella wrapped her arms around his neck, while Damon put his arms on her hips. They moved slowly in time and in sync to the music, even though neither was completely paying attention to it.

"Thank you, Damon," Vella said while smiling.

"Was my pleasure," Damon replied, smirking.

Vella looked at him with admiration. "I didn't even remember it was my birthday."

Damon smiled slightly. "I know, babe. Last year you didn't want to celebrate it because..."

"Because I had just died. I remember."

"I wasn't sure how you would feel about it this year, but you seemed like you needed something to remind you of your humanity. All these people love and care about you. Never forget that."

Vella pursed her lips, looking deep into Damon's eyes. "I didn't break the promise. I'm extremely happy. I can't believe you did all this." Vella glanced around quickly, smiling. "For the record, I'm all over the whole life and death thing. I'm with you and that's all that matters."

Damon wrapped his arms around Vella's waist, pulling her tightly against him and kissed her passionately. Neither one had noticed the music had changed tempo, or the stares and whispers, for a minute. When they noticed, they unlocked themselves from each other and went to get a drink.

Vella was sitting in her chair when David came up behind her. "May I have this dance?"

Vella smiled and allowed David to drag her to the dance floor. They danced and talked until the music picked up, then Mara stepped in to dance with her to the faster music.

Vella took turns dancing with everyone who would dance. She was silently glad that Stefan wasn't into dancing, she wasn't sure she could stomach being that close to him yet.

After three hours, the party was officially over and the doors were once again open to other patrons. That didn't stop Vella and Damon or many of their closest friends, they stayed to talk and drink.

It was about an hour later, when Vella saw someone walk in the doors that she wasn't happy to see. She excused herself and went into the bathroom.

Vella stood in front of the bathroom sink, splashing cold water on her face. It wasn't as refreshing as she had hoped. Her body was trembling and all she could see was red. The anger inside her was bubbling up, threatening to explode at any moment. She closed her eyes, gripping the counter tightly and breathing in and out slowly. It was helping, but not fast enough. When she heard the bathroom door open, she couldn't even open her eyes to see who walked in, she was too afraid to lose control. But she opened her eyes when she felt a calming arm around her shoulders.

"Vella? Are you okay?" Mara asked concerned.

Vella shook her head no, with a pained expression on her face. She was afraid what would come out of her mouth if she tried to talk.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Vella thought about it for a second, but she didn't think she could manage it. She shook her head again.

Mara looked at her worried. She hadn't seen Vella this upset in a very long time.

"Do you want me to get, Damon?"

Vella thought about it for a moment, then shook her head in agreement very vigorously.

Mara left the bathroom quickly, leaving Vella to close her eyes again to try and regain her control. It wasn't more than a minute and Damon was in the bathroom.

Damon put his arm across Vella's back in support and pulled her out of the bathroom. He looked around quickly and sneaked her out the back door, into the alley.

Damon lifted Vella's chin to force her to look into his eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked with concern.

Vella threw her arms around Damon and held him tightly. Tiny spams were shuddering through her and tears of frustration began to fall from her eyes.

"You're angry and frustrated, aren't you?" he asked. "I can feel it. What happened?"

Vella buried her face into Damon's chest and shook her head.

Damon pushed her away slightly and grabbed the side of her face with his hands. Looking into her eye's with a loving concern, he spoke gently, but sternly. "Focus, Vella. You can get control of it."

Vella focused on Damon's deep, dark, beautiful blue eyes. The way they looked at her right now with such concern and conviction, it helped her relax. Her body relaxed first, slumping into Damon's body. He cradled her closely, stroking her hair gently, waiting for her to speak.

Vella breathed in and out a few times deeply, then sighed. She straightened herself up, wiped the residue from the tears off of her face and looked into Damon's eyes.

"Thank you, Damon. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been here."

Damon looked at her supportively. "What has got you so upset?"

Vella sighed. "Not, what. Who."

"Who?"

"We can't talk about this here, Damon. I need to get out of here!" she said with a wild look in her eyes.

"Okay," he said in agreement. "Let's go back in and tell your friends you need to go home."

Vella looked at him with a terrified expression. "I can't go back in there, Damon. I might lose it."

"Okay, okay," he said calmly. "We don't have to."

Vella nodded and took a hold of Damon's hand, who led her to his car quickly. They drove home in silence, with Vella laying back in the passenger seat, looking towards the roof of the car with her eyes closed.

When they pulled up to the house, Vella didn't wait for Damon, she ran out of the car, into the livingroom and poured herself a drink. She drank two shots before Damon even got into the room.

Damon looked at her deeply concerned. "I haven't seen you this upset in a while."

Vella looked at him apologetically. "I'm so sorry. It hasn't been this difficult to control myself in a long time."

"Who got you this upset?"

Vella prepared herself to speak, by taking a few deep breaths, then looked at Damon. "John Gilbert," she practically hissed his name.

"John Gilbert?" he asked confused.

"Elena's uncle," Vella explained.

"But why would he upset you like this?"

Vella snorted and laughed. It was a sarcastic laugh. "You mean other than he's a douchebag?"

"Well obviously there's more or he wouldn't upset you so much?"

"He might be the link I've been searching for," she said and sighed. "He knew my family pretty well."

Damon raised his eyebrows in confusion. "You know John, but never met Elena?"

Vella smiled, laughing slightly. "I met Elena once when we were both young. But I never knew her family well."

"But you know John?"

"Well, John was a wannabe. He wasn't really privy to what happened within the council, but he wanted to be. He liked to stick his nose where it didn't belong."

"You think he had something to do with what happened to your parents?"

"If he found out about my father, probably. His family distrusted witches, especially my mother. In fact, the whole council mistrusted my mother."

"I wonder why he's in town."

"I was wondering the same thing. Only I wasn't going to ask him when I felt like I could rip him apart right there."

Damon looked at her with a mixture of concern and confusion. He wasn't sure why she was so upset, unless there was something she wasn't saying.

"Is there something you aren't telling me, Vella?"

Vella gave Damon a dirty look. "I don't wanna talk about it!" she yelled and ran up to her room.

**A/N: Since my story was written in the beginning of the season, none of what happened with John has actually happened in my story. Instead of creating a new character, I decided to use him since I needed a real douchebag anyways and he was already there to use LOL.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56 ~ Too Many Holes

Vella was laying face down, crying, on the bed when Damon came into the room. He had given her a few minutes of alone time, but he couldn't let it go on any longer. She was upset, which hurt him. He couldn't stand to see her cry. He walked over to the bed, sat down and began stroking her back supportively.

"Vella," he said calmly. "You need to talk about it, you know you will feel better."

Damon listened as Vella's sobs began to slow into hiccups, which then faded into deep breathing gasps. She rolled over on the bed to face him, with a teary eyed look.

"I'm remembering things that you don't think about when you're young. But now that I'm older, I can realize what they mean," she said and closed her eyes to fight back another wave of tears.

Damon took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. "What does that mean?"

Vella opened her eyes and looked at Damon with a long face. "John. He had a...thing for my mother."

Damon looked at her confused. "How do you know?"

Vella sat up beside Damon and leaned against him slightly. He wrapped his arm around her for support.

"I remember him trying to kiss my mother, but I don't remember what happened afterwards." She closed her eyes again and sighed.

"Is there something else?"

Vella opened her eyes and gave Damon a sarcastic look. "Are you a mind reader now?"

Damon grinned. "Just yours."

Vella shook her head slightly. "I don't want to think about it much less say it out loud."

"You know you will feel better," Damon said and sighed. "I know what it's like to feel angry, sad and frustrated all at once. It happens to me often. But since I've been with you, it's so much easier to control. I can talk to you and you listen. You never judge me, even though I know I'm not worthy of your love or forgiveness, but you give it to me anyway."

Vella frowned and looked at him thoughtfully. "You are worthy. We've both done things we're not proud of. Who am I to judge you?"

"We're not talking about that though."

Vella sighed deeply. "Fine, fine. But you have to promise me something first."

Damon eyed her with curiosity. "What's that?"

"Whatever you find out and whatever happens, promise me you will not go after John. He is way more dangerous than he looks."

Damon looked at her impatiently. "He hasn't met me."

Vella shook her head exasperatedly. "No negotitations, Damon. This is the deal. You have to promise."

"Yes. I promise."

Vella looked at him, studying his face. She knew he wasn't going to lie, but she wasn't sure he realized what he was agreeing to.

"It was the day of my parents funeral. At this point I believed everything I was told by the council," Vella took a deep breath before going on. "I'm going to try and remember verbatim what he said, but I was only 17 and it was nine years ago now."

Damon wrapped his arm around Vella firmly as she went on.

"He said; I'm sorry your mother is gone, she was a beautiful and kind woman. She didn't deserve what happened to her. And then he looked at me and the look creeped me out. He said; You remind me of your mother. Your eyes, your long brown hair...and you're stubborn, strong and beautiful. He must have noticed how freaked I was because he stopped there and was going to walk away, when he said something else. I hope you won't make the same mistakes your mother did. It would be a shame if you shared the same fate as her. And then he walked away."

Damon sat silently thinking. He tried not to show any emotion on his face so he wouldn't upset Vella. "That was very cryptic."

Vella nodded her head in agreement. "I didn't think anything of it then. Except for the creepy part. I was afraid of him after that day. Thought maybe he would try and...I don't know, touch me or something."

Damon looked at her with a disgusted look. "That's sick."

"Tell me about it."

"So how old is he?"

Vella shrugged. "I'm not sure. Maybe in his late thirty's now. He's at least ten years older than me."

Damon turned to face her. "I don't want you to worry any longer. We will get to the bottom of all of it. But you have to make me a promise now."

Vella sighed exaggeratedly and rolled her eyes. "Awww come on," she said and smiled.

"I'm serious," he said, but grinned.

"I should be afraid to promise before you tell me what it is, but I guess I can trust you," she said and nudged him with her elbow playfully.

Damon smiled and then looked at her seriously. "Promise you will be careful around him. And if you need help, don't hesitate to ask me. That's what a husband is for."

"You're right,_ Mr. Salvatore_. That's what a husband is for."

Damon grinned playfully and pulled Vella towards him. He kissed her gently, feeling a slight hesitation in her kiss. He pulled back and smiled at her reassuringly. "This is something else a husband does."

Vella chuckled and kissed Damon with more fervor. It didn't take more than a few seconds to forget John or anything other than her love for Damon.

It was a little while later, when Stefan came home. He wasn't alone though. Elena, Mara, David and Anthony were with him.

Damon and Vella joined them downstairs in the livingroom, hand in hand.

"Are you okay, Vella?" Mara asked her concerned.

Vella looked at her with a knowing glance, then grabbed her hand. "I'll be back in a few," she directed at Damon. "We're going for a walk."

Mara nodded and went to give Anthony to David, but Vella put her hands out for him. "May I hold him?"

Mara smiled and nodded, handing the baby to Vella.

Vella smiled, taking a hold of the baby in her arms. He immediately grabbed for Vella's long hair and began to pull on it. Vella smiled and ignored the pain, shifting him on to her hip. "We won't be long," she said and took Mara's hand with her free hand and led her into the kitchen and out through the back door into the backyard.

"He's getting so big," Vella said with a smile. "I can't believe he's almost six months old already."

Mara smiled proudly. "He's a handful, like his middle name's sake."

Vella laughed loudly. "Well Damon's a handful, but he's worth it."

"I can see that. I'm glad to finally see you happy."

"Me too. He's more than I deserve."

Mara shook her head. "You know that's not true."

Vella smiled and looked at Anthony's face. He was smiling at her with his chubby little cheeks, his chubby little hands had fistfuls of her hair. "He has your eyes."

Mara beamed proudly again. "What happened to you this afternoon?"

Vella gently pulled her hair from the baby's hands, who immediately reached for her hair again, grabbing clumps. She smiled at him happily. "You are a silly boy," she cooed. She turned her attention back to her friend. "I was upset. I had a hard time controlling it. Damon had to help me."

"Are you okay now?" Mara asked, looking at her son with concern.

Vella sighed. "I would never hurt Anthony."

"I never said..."

Vella interrupted before she finished the sentence. "It's okay. I don't blame you for being concerned."

"I'm sorry, Vella. Really."

"No need to apologize. I'm a vampire, I don't blame you."

"I know but I should..."

Vella put her hand up, stopping Mara mid sentence. "Forget it. That's not why I brought you out here." Vella smiled at the baby, untangled his chubby little hands and shifted him on to her other hip. He went for her hair again and Vella sighed with a smile. "Do you remember, John Gilbert?"

"Eww, do I ever," Mara said with disgust. "Why?"

"Didn't you see him walk into The Grill today?"

"No, but then I was too distracted."

Vella once again wiggled her hair from Anthony's hands. She craddled him in the crook of her arm and rocked him gently. He calmed down almost immediately, his eyes beginning to get heavy with each rocking motion.

"You're good at that," Mara said smiling.

"I didn't spend all that time in the nursery for nothing," she replied with a grin.

"So John is back in town, huh? What do you think that's about?"

"I don't know Mara, but I have a really bad feeling about it."

Mara studied Vella's expression for a minute. "You didn't tell Damon, did you?"

"What about?"

Mara looked at her questioningly. "You shouldn't be keeping secrets from him. Not when this much is at stake."

Vella sighed. "I love you, Mara. But I can't tell him. I don't want him to overreact."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him what John said to me the day of my parent's funeral."

"You didn't tell him what happened though?"

Vella shooked her head. "I'm not sure what you're talking about."

Mara looked at her sleeping son in Vella's arms and smiled, but it soon faded when she looked back at Vella. "Do you even remember what he did to you?"

Vella looked at her friend confused and shook her head. She tried to think back to her past, but she had no luck. Sometimes it felt like it was another lifetime. "I can't think of anything."

"Maybe it's better you don't remember," Mara mumbled quietly.

Vella looked at her frustrated. She wasn't sure why she couldn't remember something that clearly happened to her, especially when Mara seemed to remember. "I need to know."

Mara's face changed from confusion to fear in an instant. "You know I love you, right?"

Vella looked at her conused. "Of course. What's wrong? You're scaring me."

"I will tell you what I remember, but I need to go back home. I can't get in the middle of this," her eyes darted to her son in Vella's arms.

Vella handed Anthony back to his mother carefully so as not to wake him. He grunted slightly as Vella placed him in her arms, but he stayed asleep.  
Out of frustration, Vella ran vamp speed into the forest, punched down a small tree and then ran back to Mara. "I'm sorry. I had to hit something."

Mara smiled, but it was an uneasy smile.

"This is so frustrating! There are holes in my memory still after all this time! I wish I knew what the damn council did to me!" Vella shrieked.

Anthony began to move in Mara's arms, so Vella gave her an apologetic look. But the baby settled back down, sticking a chubby little hand in his mouth and began sucking on it.

"I'm not sure what the motivation would have been for them to make you forget what I'm going to tell you."

Vella snorted. "Maybe it was just a member or two, not the whole council."

Mara nodded her head very lightly and sighed. "Do you remember John having a thing for your mom?"

"Eww yes," Vella replied with disgust. "That's what I told Damon."

"Do you remember when your dad threatened him?"

Vella thought for a moment, but she wasn't sure. "No, I don't."

Mara looked at Vella. "Okay, I'm just going to tell you and you can tell me afterwards what you remember."

Vella nodded her head in agreement.

"It was a few months before they were killed. John had come over while your father was at the hospital. He tried coming on to your mother and she had to use magic against him to stop him." Vella began to see red, her face showing the rage she was feeling, but Mara continued. "She was chastised by the council for using her magic against another member and your dad threatened him and then it was over."

"I don't remember that, but I do vaguely remember there was tension within the council. My mother had become very insistent that I learn magic around that time."

"Right. I think she was worried what would happen."

Vella felt a pang of guilt wash over her. She tried to catch her breath, but it ached. She put her hand to her chest and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

Mara waited a minute until it looked like Vella was calm again, before going on. "John pretty much stayed away after that. But shortly before your mother died, he started coming by to visit you. He was trying to convince you to embrace your heritage, learn magic."

"He did?"

"Damn, Vella. They did a number on you. Maybe you should try a hypnotist."

Vella knew she was joking, but it didn't really sound like a terrible idea.

"So this angered my parents?"

"Yes, especially your mother."

Vella was just as confused as ever. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she intended on finding out. She knew it would be a mistake, but she needed to talk to John. But first, she had something else to do.

"You know way more than I do, maybe too much. I think you need to get out of town, Mara. Go back home."

Mara nodded sadly. "I think so too."

Vella and Mara went back to the house, where Mara gathered her stuff and David and left to go home immediately. It broke Vella's heart to watch them go, but she couldn't have them in danger. If she lost her best friend, her sister, she didn't think even Damon could keep her under control.

Damon watched their company leave in silence. He knew something was going on and he hoped Vella would tell him without him having to badger her.

As soon as Mara and David were gone, Vella went to the liquor cabinet looking for her private stash. She found her top shelf vodka, opened it and drank straight from the bottle.

"Vella?" Damon called with concern.

Vella dropped the bottle to her side and looked at him. "I'm good."

"Are you going to talk about it?"

Vella glanced at Elena quickly, then back to Damon. "Let me drink first, I need to curb my cravings right now."

Damon waited patiently, watching Vella drink. Stefan had taken Elena up to his room, afraid of what was going on.

When Vella had finished the bottle, she looked at Damon with a grin. "When this hits me I'm gonna be falling down."

Damon smiled at her humor. He knew she was trying to make jokes to keep herself calm, which didn't please him. He sighed quietly and put his arms around her, pulling her close.

Vella pushed him away, but took his hand and led him to the couch. "Sit," she demanded, while placing the empty vodka bottle on the table beside the couch.

Damon sat on the couch, Vella plopping herself beside him. "We need to talk."

**A/N: Sorry this chapter was so short, I needed to end it there. I can't give away too much yet lol.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57 ~ John Gilbert 

Vella didn't do anything the rest of the day. She knew it would be a mistake if she left the house, so she let Damon find her something to eat. But while he was out, she made a quick phone call.

"Hello?"

"Bonnie, hey."

"Vella? What's going on. Is everything okay?"

"I have to make this quick," Vella said scanning the room quickly. "I need to meet with you, you have to help me."

"Of course. What do you need?"

"Not over the phone. I will call you tomorrow morning so we can meet."

"Sure, Vella. Whatever you need."

"Thanks, Bonnie," Vella said, closing her phone.

Vella spent the rest of the evening with Damon. She talked until she couldn't think of anything else to say. She was trying to be as transparent as she possibly could. She didn't intentionally hide things from Damon, she was just way too used to keeping secrets, and it was a habit that was difficult to break.

The next morning, Vella called Bonnie. She asked Bonnie to meet at her cabin by the lake, she knew it would be the quietest place for this particular meeting. She didn't want to worry about interruptions.

Vella arrived before Bonnie, which gave her a chance to look around. She hadn't even thought to look for her mother's journals here. She had been searching for about twenty minutes when she heard a knock at the door.

Vella walked to the door to let Bonnie in, but it wasn't Bonnie standing at the door knocking, it was John Gilbert.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Vella demanded angrily, through the screen door.

"Can I come in?" John asked with a smile.

"Answer my question."

John smirked at her, which sent a shiver through Vella. "I was in town. I thought I would stop by and give my regards."

"You did, now get lost."

John studied her up and down, all the while wearing the same smirk. "I thought you would have your mother's manners but I guess you're more like you're father."

Vella was too angry to notice the hidden meaning in his words. "Don't you dare talk about my parents!"

"Well, I guess I can talk to you through this screen."

"Just say what you have to say and go," Vella said through gritted teeth.

John sighed lightly. "I just wanted to see you all grown. I was curious. Is that such a bad thing?"

Vella wanted to sink her teeth into him, but she shut those thoughts out of her head as quickly as she could. "When it's you, yes."

"I'm not really sure why you're so angry with me."

"Really, John? You have no idea?"

John grinned in an evil way. It made Vella even angrier.

"We will talk again soon," John said.

"No, we won't."

The smile on John's face vanished, replaced with a serious look. "We _will_ talk again soon. You see we have some...business to take care of."

Vella narrowed his eyes, but didn't say anything. It was becoming too difficult for her to control herself and she didn't want to do something she might regret.

"You have a good day, Vella," John said with a slight grin. He turned quickly and left.

Vella closed her eyes to fight off the urge to hunt him down and kill him. If not for her superior hearing, she might not have noticed Bonnie approach the house. She opened her eyes when she heard the car coming up the laneway.

Bonnie got out of her car quickly, almost running up to the front door. "I'm so sorry I'm late."

"It's okay. It's probably a good thing you were," Vella replied, opening the screen door to allow Bonnie to walk in.

Bonnie looked at her strangely but didnt ask her what she meant. She walked into the livingroom, where the tables were pushed up against the wall. Only the couch and one chair were still in their original spots.

"What's this about, Vella?" she asked curiously.

Vella looked at her almost pleading. "I need your skills."

"My magic? Is there something wrong with your magic?"

Vella smiled lightly. "Not exactly. I need you to cast a spell on me, if it's possible."

Bonnie looked at her with curiosity and a bit of fear. "What kind of spell?"

Vella explained to Bonnie about her missing memories. She speculated that magic had probably erased it. It seemed the only logical conclusion.

Bonnie agreed to help, even though she wasn't sure if she could help. She told Vella that if her memories were altered using magic, she might not be able to reverse it.

Vella had to have faith that it would work. It was the only thing keeping her from jumping out of her skin right now in frustration.

Vella laid down on the couch, while Bonnie sat on the chair facing her. Vella kept her eyes closed like Bonnie instructed and tried to clear her mind.

It was much more difficult for Vella to clear her mind than it sounded. Images of her parents and John Gilbert kept running through her mind, not to mention the usual nagging of her thirst. Somehow she managed it though. Her mind seemed to go blank for a few moments, while she heard Bonnie whispering an incantation. It only seemed to be seconds later, she began seeing a swirling of color in her mind. The colors swirled until they materialized into hazy images, that slowly cleared until the were recognizable. These were memories, but they seemed like they were far away, as if she was watching them through a fog. But as she watched them, they began to get clearer. Vella was too immersed in her memories to realize Bonnie had completed the spell.

Bonnie moved on to the floor beside Vella, sitting cross legged, laying a supportive hand on Vella's arm.

It was only a few minutes later when Vella bolted upright on the couch, with a look of shock and fear on her face, tears running from her eyes. She was sobbing so much it sounded like she was hyperventilating.

"Vella, are you okay?" Bonnie inquired gently.

Vella blinked her eyes a few times, swallowed hard and slowed her breathing. She looked at Bonnie thankfully. "I'm fine."

"What happened? Did it work?"

Vella stared at her silently. She was trying to remember how to speak, it seemed like she had forgotten how to.

"Whatever I tell you, needs to be between us, Bonnie."

"I'm not sure I feel comfortable keeping secrets."

"Look, Bonnie. This is to keep you safe. Trust me. Once I tell you...well you'll understand."

Bonnie searched Vella's face for a lie, but she only found the truth. She shuddered slightly, even though she wasn't sure why. She nodded her head in agreement, but stayed silent.

"It was my Mom. She was the one who messed with my memories."

Bonnie looked at Vella with her mouth wide open in shock. "Your own mother, but why?"

Vella sighed deeply. "It was to protect me, from the council. From the Gilbert's mostly."

"From John?"

"Not just John, his brother too."

"Elena's father?"

Vella nodded.

"Are you sure?"

"Bonnie. The Gilbert's hated vampires. It's been passed down from generation to generation. When John found out about my father, he told his brother. They kept it from the council." Vella sighed. "I can't explain this all now, Bonnie. I need to go."

Vella went to get up from the couch, but Bonnie stood up and put her hand on her shoulder, gripping it firmly.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Bonnie, get your hand off of me. Please?"

Bonnie looked at her with determination. "No."

"Bonnie. Please don't make me..."

Bonnie interrupted her. "Hurt me? I'm not letting you go until you calm down."

Vella glared at Bonnie angrily. She was about to remove Bonnie's arm forcefully, when a sharp pain began running through her head. She clutched her head, crying out in pain. It didn't last long, only a few seconds, but it was enough for Vella to take Bonnie seriously.

"I'm sorry I had to do that," Bonnie said quietly.

Vella looked at her apologetically. "No, I'm sorry I made you do that to me."

"Are you okay now?"

Vella nodded her head. "I'm fine now."

"Can I drive you home?"

Vella thought for a few moments, before nodding her head. "Yes, I think thats a good idea."

Bonnie drove Vella back to the boarding house. Neither of them speaking on the way there. Before Vella got out of the car, Bonnie made her promise to talk to someone about what happened. And Vella made her promise not to say anything about what happened.

Vella walked in the house, heading straight into the livingroom and poured herself a drink. She ignored everyone in the room, not greeting them until she had finished her drink.

Stefan, Elena and Jeremy all watched her with curiosity.

"A little early to drink, isn't it?" Jeremy joked.

Vella rolled her eyes and gave him a mock dirty look. "Never too early."

"Is everything okay?" Stefan asked concerned.

"No, actually it's not." Vella scanned the room quickly and listened. "Where's Damon?"

Stefan glanced at Vella with a strange expression. "He's with Alaric."

Vella was suddenly curious as to why Jeremy was here and Damon was with Alaric. It seemed strange to her, though she couldn't put her finger on why. She decided not to think about it. Instead she decided to go up to her room, without another word to anyone in the room.

Vella sat on her bed cross legged and closed her eyes. The memories that had been unlocked earlier today were still flooding in and she was trying to concentrate on them. She was afraid that if she laid down, she would fall asleep. It had only been a couple minutes when Jeremy was standing in the doorway to her room.

"Can I come in?"

Vella opened her eyes and looked at Jeremy with annoyance mingled with curiosity. "What do you want, Jeremy? I'm busy."

Jeremy walked into the room hesitantly, stopping at the edge of the bed beside her. "Take this," he said, handing her an old book.

Vella took the book, looking at it strangely. "What is this?"

"It's something I took from my uncle. I thought you might be interested in it."

Vella flipped open the book to a random page. There was a bunch of scrawled writing, obviously written by a man. She glanced over a few sentences quickly, seeing her name.

"What the hell!"

Jeremy looked at her knowingly. "Don't tell anyone I gave that to you."

Vella looked at Jeremy gratefully, then jumped up and hugged him. "Thank you."

Jeremy straightened himself up from the hug, blushing slightly. "No problem," he answered and walked back downstairs.

Vella hid the book underneath the bed and sat back down. Closing her eyes again she focused on one particular memory she had remembered, she was about twelve...

_Vella had left school early that afternoon. She had gotten sick and since it was almost the end of the day, the school let her go home. She walked into the house, put her backpack on the floor and walked towards the kitchen to find her mother. When she reached the doorway, she saw her father biting her mother's neck, drinking her blood. All she could do was watch in fear, afraid to move, but something told her everything was okay. She watched her father take his mouth off of his wife's neck and turn around, while her mother approached her slowly with a calm voice._

Vella opened her eye's, tears were running from them. She didn't need to see anymore, she remembered what happened now. Her mother explained that her father wasn't hurting her and that everything was fine. Then she made her forget everything.

Vella felt very betrayed by her parents. She understood why they had hid so much from her and even taken away her memories, but it still hurt. It felt like they had never trusted her. She knew that wasn't true. She knew that they did what they did to protect her, but it didn't change the fact she was missing so many memories.

Vella got up from her bed when she heard the front door and ran down the stairs. She watched as Damon and Alaric walked into the livingroom. Damon walked over to the liquor and poured himself a drink, while Alaric seated himself on the couch beside Jeremy.

Vella followed them, pausing in the doorway, then walked into the livingroom, stopping before she reached the couch.

"What's going on?"

Everyone turned to look at Vella. She noticed Damon's apprehensive look and Alaric's tortured look.

Damon and Alaric exchanged knowing glances, then Damon answered.

"John."

Vella sighed deeply and shook her head. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Did you find anything out?" Stefan asked.

"He came by to see me," Jeremy answered.

"I was taking Jenna home and he was there with Jeremy," Alaric said. "He didn't seem too pleased to see either of us."

"What did he want from you Jeremy?" Vella asked.

"I don't know exactly. When i got home he was there, riffling through some of my dad's old stuff."

Vella exchanged a knowing glance with Jeremy, then turned to Alaric. "So what happened when you got there?"

Alaric laughed dryly. "He pretended he was there to talk to Jeremy."

It was quiet for a few moments, before Vella blurted out, "He came to see me today."

The room was full of the same questions. "What? Why?"

"I don't know, it was very creepy. But he seems to...know something."

Damon walked to stand beside his wife, putting his free arm around her. "What do you mean?"

Vella shook her head. "Maybe it's my imagination. It was just something he said about my father."

Damon whispered quietly so no one could hear him. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Vella nodded very lightly, then put her arms around him, pulling herself as close as she could to him. She let Damon hold her for a minute, then slowly pulled free of his embrace.

"I have something to tell you all," she announced.

Everyone in the room watched Vella intently as she told them about her encounter with John and her session with Bonnie. She didn't tell them anything specific about her memories, just that she had gotten a lot of them back and she needed to work through them.

Damon was worried about Vella, so he did his best to take her up to their bedroom as soon as he could persuade her to.

Vella sat down on the bed, silent tears began running down as she watched Damon close the door and walk over to the bed.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Damon asked her gently.

"There is just so much to tell. Much of it is disturbing to me," Vella sighed loudly. "I'm still getting new memories constantly." She laid back on the bed and closed her eyes.

Damon laid on the bed beside Vella, holding himself up by supporting his head in his hand. He used his free hand to begin tracing lines gently over her skin. He was happy to hear her gasp quietly when he ran his fingers over her neck, by her ear and cheek.

Vella opened her eyes and smiled, remnants of tears glinting from the corner in each of her eyes. "You always know what I need," she said as she turned on to her side, putting her free arm on his side.

Damon smiled, staring into her eyes while stroking her cheek lightly. "Whatever you need you only need to tell me."

"I know," she said and smiled slyly. "All I need is you."

"And blood," he said sarcastically, grinning.

"Okay, so you're number two, you're okay with that, right?" she grinned.

Damon smiled and pulled her close, kissing her lips fervently. He wasn't thinking of John, or old memories or even blood, he was thinking about Vella. About how much he loved her and how much she drove him crazy, both good and bad. But none of that mattered to him at that moment. He just wanted her, fully and completely.

Vella returned the kiss with as much fervor as Damon. With all the memories she had gained over the day, she felt as if she was overloaded with information and she just wanted to think of something else, or nothing at all. She opted for nothing, instead giving herself up to her passion completely.

Vella woke in the middle of the night with a start. She had been having a dream, but as she sat upright in her bed, blinking her eyes, she couldn't remember if it was a bad dream or not. She looked over at Damon and realized she hadn't roused him, so she got out of bed as carefully and quietly as she could and walked down into the livingroom.

Vella walked into the livingroom without turning on the lights. She didn't need to, she could see perfectly fine in the dark, but at this moment she wished she couldn't. She felt like she wanted to sit in the pitch black and be alone with her thoughts, if only pitch black was dark enough.

She walked over to the liquor cabinet and poured herself a drink, then sat on the couch, sipping it slowly. She took a few minutes sipping her drink until it was finished, then put the glass down on the table beside her. Once she had nothing to concentrate on, her mind began to wander on it's own. Flashes of faces from her past began to run through her mind. Some were harmless, some were happy and others were sad.

Vella got up from the couch, looked around for a pen and some paper, which she found by the phone. She then began to write down things she was remembering.

More visions of her father feeding from her mother. For some reason she shuddered every time she thought about it. Memories of John Gilbert flirting with her mother. Those thoughts made her want to get sick so badly, she wished it was physically possible. But then one memory appeared that she hadn't remembered until this exact moment, threatened to destroy her frame of mind. She was about sixteen...

_She was spying on John Gilbert. He had been by the house earlier and had taken something of her mother's and she intended to find out why. She followed him to his brother Grayson's house. It was dark outside, so she hid in the bushes listening to the conversation the two brothers were having in the kitchen._

_"Did you get the gemstone?" Grayson asked._

_"No, but I did get this," John said, handing his brother a book._

_Grayson opened the book and skimmed through it for a moment. "Her spell book?" John nodded. "Does it have what we need?"_

_"I'm not sure," John replied._

_"What about her daughter?"_

_"Who, Vella?" John asked._

_"Yes, her. Is she willing to be trained yet?"_

_"No, she is still refusing but I think there is something else going on."_

_"What do you mean?" Grayson asked curiously._

_"I'm not sure, but I suspect her mother is making her refuse. For all we know she is training her and they're lying about it."_

_"I don't trust her but I don't think she's that devious. I think you're beginning to get way too paranoid, John."_

_"And I don't think you're paranoid enough, Grayson."_

_"What would be the motive?"_

_John began pacing back and forth a few steps. "Think about it. If we don't think Vella knows magic, then Vivian knows she's safe. She knows the council won't move against her while she is the only one able to keep that tomb sealed."_

_"I don't think we should be worried about her. She's not dangerous. I know the council thinks she would retaliate by opening the tomb, but even she can't be that stupid," Grayson said._

_"No, I definitely think you're right about that. There is no way she could control over 100 hungry vampires, so I don't think she would risk it."_

_"Then we need to do what I suggested to the council and stay out of it for now."_

_John looked at his brother with his mouth agape. "We can't become complacent. We have done all of this for hundreds of years to keep our town safe. We can't allow Vivian to keep protecting her husband, he's a vampire."_

_"John. There haven't been any attacks in a long time. In fact, the last time was when he was attacked."_

_"And you believe their story?" John said interrupting. "I don't"_

_"I do. Victor is a respected physician and a damn good surgeon. Vampire or no vampire, he's never been anything but a good man and an ever greater doctor."_

_"Since when do you stand up for vampire rights, Grayson?"_

_"That's not what I'm doing and you know it," Grayson replied angrily._

_"Then it's fear. You're afraid of the witch."_

_"I'm not afraid of her."_

_"Then what is it?"_

_Grayson looked away from his brother with a look of shame on his face. "I won't condone murder, John. No matter the reason."_

_"Murder? Now who's being over dramatic," John said._

_"And look who's being flippant."_

_"That's where you're wrong. I am very serious about this."_

_"This is where we disagree, John. It's murder when you kill someone for no reason. And I won't do that." Grayson turned to look at his brother again. "And I won't leave kids without their parents all because of our superstitious fears."_

_John went to open his mouth, but Grayson interrupted him. "No, I'm done with this subject. End of conversation."_

_John looked at his brother angrily, then stormed out of the kitchen and the house._

Vella got up from the couch and looked around, listening. She could tell by the rythmic breathing that Damon was still sleeping. She ran from the house quickly and quietly, not making a sound.

She ran vamp speed towards town, keeping to the shadows under trees, beside houses and down dark alleyways. She stopped when she was near the town square and pulled the book Jeremy had given her from a jacket inside her pocket. She cast a simple locating spell, looking for John. It only took seconds to know where he was, but the surprise took lips curled into an evil smile as she ran towards her destination, the Gilbert house.

When she arrived at the house, she stood outside on the porch looking at the door. She knew she could just walk in, but she didn't want to frighten anyone in the house. Instead, she walked back on to the lawn and leapt at the porch roof, landing silently. She stalked towards the window of the guest room, making no sound.

Vella found the window easily, the latch was left unlocked and the glass window was already open. She removed the screen silently and pounced into the room stealthily, her feet making no noise as they landed on the soft carpeting.

She saw John sleeping in the bed, but she noticed too late that his breathing was uneven. It wasn't until she approached the bed and was standing within inches from it, that John ripped the covers from his hands and struck out at her with a long wooden stake. Vella parried the blow easily, the stake flying across the room.

Vella became incensed as John leapt from the bed noisily. Her face was an ashen color with bright veins bulging from around her eyes. Her long, incerdibly sharp fangs were protruding from her mouth in a threatening manner as she hissed a warning at John.

John stared back at her defiantly, another wooden stake in his hand.

"Do you think I wouldn't be prepared for this, Vella?"

Vella hissed at him and when she spoke it was practically a growl. "I don't care, John. It will take more than a piece of wood to keep me from ripping you apart."

John glared at her, but with a hint of a smirk forming on his face. "I'm standing right here, come and get me."

Vella looked at John with utter contempt, her mind a flurry of thoughts all at once. She knew she shouldn't fall for his goading, but it was taking every bit of self control to stay rooted to the spot she was standing.

John made a sudden move towards the bedroom door, which set Vella flying towards him. She dodged the strike of the wooden stake once, but he came back around with it and hit her in the back of her left thigh, which sent her falling down onto her knees in pain. As she fell, she swung her left arm out and connected with John, sending him flying across the room into the wall.

Vella was about to pull the stake from her leg, when the bedroom door was flung open, the light turned on and she was looking into 2 sets of eyes, Elena and Jeremy.

"What are you doing?" Elena demanded of Vella, an edge of fear in her voice.

Vella yanked the wooden stake from her thigh, groaning in pain as she did it, and chucked it out the open window. She stood up, carrying most of the weight on her right side. "Failing, apparently."

Elena narrowed her eyes at her. "You were trying to kill my uncle?"

"Trying, yes," Vella replied while casting an evil glance in John's direction. John was still splayed out on the floor against the wall, a single hand resting on his head where a trickle of blood could be seen under his fingers.

"I think you need to get out of here right now, Vella," Elena said. By this time Jenna had also come to the room to see what was going on.

Vella cast another glance in John's direction, then back at Elena, nodding once. She turned to go back out the window, but stopped and looked at John. "I wouldn't stay somewhere I've been invited in, John. It might be hazardous for your health."

Before Elena could get the words out of her mouth, Vella was out the window and speeding back towards the boarding house. 

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, I ran head long into writer's block. This was a much longer chapter than the last couple.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58 ~ Another Visitor

Vella slowed as she neared the boarding house. She knew that Elena had probably already called Stefan, if not Damon too, and she wasn't in any particular hurry to listen to their admonishments.

As she approached the house, there were many of the house lights on and she could hear the muffled voices of her husband and brother in law. She sucked in one deep breath and ran into the house and straight into the livingroom.

Stefan looked at her in astonishment. "What were you thinking?"

Vella shrugged but a grin began to creep over her face.

"You think this is funny?" Stefan asked angrily.

Vella looked at him stoically. "Actually it isn't funny. If I had actually managed to kill him then I would have something to laugh about."

Damon looked at her concerned, while Stefan glared at her.

Vella glowered back at both of them, suddenly angry. "None of this concerns either of you, this is between me and John, so both of you stay out of it."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Vella," Stefan said sourly.

"Me either," Damon added, looking at her apologetically. "This concerns all of us."

"That's where you're wrong. This is about me and my family. If you interfere you're going to get stuck in the middle of this."

"I'm already in the middle of this because John is related to Elena."

Vella laughed sardonically. "You are either with me, or against me...or you can stay the hell out of it."

"I'm not staying out of it, Vella," Damon said firmly. "Whatever you're involved in concerns me as well."

Vella cast a steely glance at her husband, then looked away. "I'm going back to bed, the sun will be up soon and I have some things to take care of in the morning." Before either brother could object, she ran upstairs, kicked her shoes off and climbed under the covers on her bed.

She laid in bed quiet for a few minutes listening. All she heard were the shuffle of feet and the clinking of glass before she dozed off.

When Vella woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. She cursed at herself and got out of bed in a hurry, quickly showering, dressing and running from the house. No one was in the house when she woke up, which made her wonder what the Salvatore brothers were up to. She shook everything from her mind and headed to her destination, the Lockwood mansion.

"Good morning, Tyler," she said sweetly, when Tyler answered the door. "Is your father around?"

"He is but he's in a meeting."

"It's kind of important that I talk to him."

"You're not the only one who found it important to talk to him today."

Vella's heart sank slightly as she imagined who it could be. "Please tell me it wasn't John Gilbert?"

Tyler shrugged and gave her a sympathetic look.

"Dammit," she murmured under her breath.

Tyler stepped out of the door, closing it lightly behind him. Leaning clos to her he whispered, "Meet me at The Grill later on, say around three. I will let you know what went on."

Vella went to ask why he would do that, but he seemed to have noticed her apprehension and spoke before she had a chance to ask.

"My father doesn't like or trust him and I could tell something was going on when I accidentally came in the room. I heard John mention your name."

"But why would it matter to you, Tyler?" she asked interrupting. "I didn't think you liked me much."

Tyler looked at her seriously. "Things have changed. I'm not stupid and naive anymore. Besides, I kind of owe you."

"_You_, owe me?" Vella laughed quietly. "At this point I think we're even."

Tyler chuckled. "Yeah, I think that's probably true."

"Okay, I will go before John sees me. See you at three." Vella winked, turning around quickly and left.

Vella wasn't sure what she wanted to do now, she hadn't actually thought that far ahead. But she quickly realized she needed to apologize to Jenna for what had happened at her house. She was glad to find Jenna alone when she arrived there. She didn't think she could handle arguing with Elena right now.

"Really, it's okay, Vella," Jenna said laughing slightly. "I don't really like John much anyways."

Vella had a good laugh with Jenna about John and managed to gather some more information about him in the mean time. She also made Jenna promise to keep him out of the house. As much as she wanted the chance to kill him, she knew he would be ready for her and she was sure he needed something in the house, she didn't want him to have whatever it was.

It wasn't quite two p.m. when Vella arrived at The Grill. She didn't want to kill time at home before meeting Tyler, so she figured she would stop by and have a few drinks beforehand. She ordered herself a few drinks and some french fries, for some odd reason she felt like indulging so she went with it.

While she was eating, Matt came and sat beside her at the bar.

"I didn't know you could eat," Matt said with surprise.

Vella laughed slightly. "Yes, I can eat if I desire to. As long as I eat my other diet regularly," she said and glanced at his neck quickly.

Matt looked uncomfortable for a moment until Vella laughed. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to tease you."

"Oh, ok," he said and laughed, both slightly embarrassed and uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, really. I'm just in a mood, that's all," Vella said smiling. "Can I buy you a drink or something to eat?"

"I have to start my shift soon."

"Nonsense," Vella said with a devious look. "I'm sure your boss will agree with me...after I have a chat with him."

Matt smiled and sat down beside her while Vella ordered him some food.

"This is very nice of you."

Vella chuckled, smiling slyly. "I have alterior motives."

Matt looked at her suspiciously, narrowing his eyes.

"I just wanted someone to sit and talk to while I wait, that's all."

"Oh," Matt said, blushing slightly. "Okay."

Vella and Matt had an innocent discussion, before he had to get up and work. By this time, it was getting closer to three.

Vella had a few more drinks before Tyler walked into The Grill. She watched as he ordered a drink and sat down beside her trying to look inconspicuous.

Tyler looked at her with a sideways glance. "You're not going to like this."

Vella looked at him and sighed deeply. "Is it that bad?"

"Worse," he replied, clenching his hands into fists.

Vella lightly laid her hand onto his fist supportively. "Tyler, calm down."

Tyler closed his eyes for a moment, then took a few deep breaths, before relaxing his hands. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," she said as she pulled her hand away.

Tyler looked at her seriously and quieted his voice. "John is a real douchebag." He shook his head a few times. "He's threatening my father."

"With what?"

"What do you think? To expose my...condition if he keeps helping you, Damon and Stefan."

"How did he find out about that?"

"I don't know, but he's also threatened to tell the council he's been helping vampires."

Vella slammed her fist against the bar, then grinned apologetically at the bartender.

"Did you talk to your father about this?"

"I tried, but he didn't want to talk to me."

"Okay, listen carefully, Tyler. Do not talk to John or discuss any of this with your father." Tyler tried to interrupt but Vella put her hand up to cut him off. "I will talk to your dad. You keep your ears open and I will keep you informed and vice versa."

"Okay, but..."

"No, buts. Don't say anything to anyone but me. This is important, Tyler."

Tyler sighed and nodded his head in agreement.

"Good. Now I better get going, before Damon comes looking for me." She began to walk away, then turned back to Tyler. "Thanks," she said before walking out the door.

Vella walked down the street with no particular destination in mind. She was blindly wandering, listening to random conversations when she heard a voice she recognized, John. She stopped walking to listen, but he ended the conversation quickly. Vella could tell by the snapping sound of a cell phone closing that he had been on the phone.

Vella listened carefully, trying to follow John, but there was too much traffic and noise to pinpoint where he was. But she didn't have to try too hard when she stumbled into him while coming out from an alley.

"Well, hello, Vella," John said with a devious grin, while straightening out his clothes.

"John."

"Were you looking for me?"

Vella rolled her eyes, her face full of disgust. "Hardly."

John laughed derisively. "Well, I _was_ looking for you. I wanted to tell you how nice it was to visit with Mayor Lockwood today."

"Why would I care?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"You will figure it out...maybe."

"John. I'm going to warn you once and only once," Vella said angrily, getting closer to him. "Get the hell out of Mystic Falls or else."

"Threats, Vella? Thats so beneath you."

"Don't push me, John," she threatened.

"Why not? Are you going to rip me to shreds right here in public?" he asked, grinning mischieviously.

"I have way too much self control for that. Sorry to disappoint you."

John laughed mockingly. "Definitely not disappointed. In fact, I'm delighted. I wouldn't want you to ruin my carefully laid plans."

Vella narrowed her eyes, giving John a look of pure malice. "I'm not in the habit of repeating myself, but I will this once. Get out of town before you end up...dead, or worse." She paused and went to walk away, but turned back. "And I swear this to you. If something happens to Damon, I will make you live a very long life of pain and torture."

As Vella turned to walk away, John grabbed her arm. "You know it didn't have to be this way. It's really a shame you let this happen to you."

Vella wrenched her arm from John's grasp, giving him an evil look. "For one thing, I didn't let anything happen to me. Secondly, don't ever touch me again."

John looked at her with a mocking grin. "I will try to remember that."

"See that you do," she said and walked away quickly, fighting the urge to beat him senseless.

Vella ran as quick as she could home. She was so angry and frustrated she was afraid to be near anyone who was breakable. She was running up the laneway when she saw a familiar car parked near the house, with an even more familiar license plate. She stopped and gathered her thoughts, rolling her eyes and sighing loudly, before walking into the house.

After walking through the front door, Vella ran vamp speed into the livingroom, stopping suddenly as if she had ran into a wall. She eyed her company with rage, a jealous rage. The visitor was sitting beside Damon with her hand on his knee, grinning in a taunting way. The woman's shoulder length blonde hair was shinning brightly in the late afternoon sun coming in from the windows, highlighting her loose fitting curls.

Vella was about to open her mouth, when she felt an intense pain in her head which made her hold her head with her hands and cry out in agony. The pain only lasted moments, as Vella grappled with the spell that was affecting her.

It had only lasted seconds, but Damon was already by Vella's side with his arm around her supportively. Vella shrugged it off and stood up looking at the woman on the couch.

"Sasha," she said with disdain. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Sasha laughed slightly and grinned. "I was happy to find out you finally embraced your heritage. Too bad you're also a vampire."

Vella eyed her suspiciously. "As always, you can't answer a direct question. What do you want?"

"Come on, Vella. Does an old friend need a reason to visit?"

Vella snorted. "Hardly friends, Sasha."

"We were. Once upon a time."

"A friend who couldn't even reply to a wedding invitation?"

Sasha chuckled slightly, smiling. "That's right, you're an old married woman now." She looked at Damon, then back to Vella. "At least you have good taste."

Vella sighed angrily. "Is this what you came here for, to mock me?"

Sasha's smile disappeared from her face, making her look much older than her twenty eight years. "I really wish that was why I was here. Unfortunately the matter we need to discuss is of utmost importance."

Vella could tell by her voice that whatever it was she was here for was important, but she wasn't in the mood for any of this. After her day she just wanted to eat and sleep. "Can we talk in a little bit? I need to get something to eat and I...need some time to unwind and gather myself."

Sasha studied Vella for a moment. "I know how vampires can get when they're hungry and cranky. How about I come back in an hour or so? I need to get some dinner anyways."

Vella shook her head, but didn't say anything.

Sasha nodded her head and bit her lip, pondering. "Okay. I will see you shortly." She turned and smiled sweetly at Damon. "Nice to meet you," she said, walking out the door and driving off.

Vella didn't make a move until she heard Sasha's car leaving the she walked over to the liquor cabinet and poured herself a drink.

"What was that about?" Damon asked Vella, watching her carefully.

Vella shook her head slightly, drank her drink in one swallow and took Damon's hand, leading him to the couch, where they both sat down. She looked at him seriously, taking his hands into hers. "Sasha is an old friend from college, though I use the term friend, very loosely."

"She's a witch?"

"Well I would call her a bitch, but yes."

"She's a huge flirt," Damon blurted out, before realizing what he had said.

Vella gave him a dirty look and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, don't think I didn't notice how you let her get close to you or how you checked her out as she left."

Damon tried to look apologetic, but he couldn't stop smirking.

"What's so funny?" Vella asked irritated.

"You're jealous."

"I am not!" Vella protested.

Damon chuckled, but stopped when he saw the look on Vella's face. "In all seriousness, what's been going on today?"

Vella sighed impatiently. "I don't have time to talk, I need to feed, I'm exhausted."

Damon lifted an eyebrow in curiosity. "Why are you so tired?"

"I've been around town, seen some people, had a confrontation with John and then what Sasha did to me...I'm tired."

Damon freed his hands from Vella's, put his arm around her and pulled her to his chest. "I'm so sorry for all of this."

"None of this is your fault. It seems this was inevitable. John wanted to interfere with my mother's life and now mine. The only difference is, I will stop him one way or another." Vella looked up at Damon and smiled. "I love you, you know that, right?"

"Of course," Damon answered matter of factly.

"But will you after this is over?" she asked seriously, the smile fading from her face.

"How could you ask me something like that?"

"Because I have to do a lot of this on my own. And I know how you are."

"Why would you need to do this alone?"

Vella sat up straight, pulling herself free of his arms and looked at him very seriously. "I need to tell you something and you aren't going to like it."

"You can tell me anything."

"I'm afraid of what's going to happen with all of this and I'm afraid for you."

"I can take care of myself." Damon interrupted.

Vella shook her head a few times. "I know you can, but that's the problem."

"How is that a problem?" he asked surprised.

"As long as I'm in danger, you will be there...even if I ask you not to. But you don't realize what it would do to me if something happened to you, especially if it was my fault."

"Vella..."

"No! Will you let me finish, please?" she pleaded.

Damon pouted slightly, crossing his arms in irritation.

"I know this is probably selfish of me, or at least the reason I'm telling you this now is selfish." Damon gave her an impatient look. "Fine. If something happens to you..."

"It won't."

"But if it does, I want you to know that..."

Damon took her hands, as he watched a single silent tear run down her face."

"If something happens to you, I won't have a reason to live any longer."

"You're not saying what I think you're saying, are you?" he asked, looking slightly angry.

Vella nodded lightly, frowning. "If you die I will have nothing to live for."

Damon looked at her sadly. "I don't want you to feel that way, but the same goes for me."

"Then you understand that if you die, I will take my necklace off and walk out in the sun without a second thought?"

Damon swallowed once, his mouth suddenly felt dry. "I understand. If something ever happened to you, I wouldn't hesitate to take my ring off and walk out into the sun."

Vella took her hands from Damon and wrapped them around him tightly, pulling him tight against her while silent tears streamed from her eyes. She pulled away quickly, not wanting to keep thinking about it, when she saw Damon had tears on his face as well. She quickly wiped them away and kissed his cheek where the tears had just been.

"I don't intend on going anywhere for a very long time," she assured him in a whisper.

Damon didn't say anything in return, he just pulled her tight against him, reassuring himself as much as her.

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to get a new chapter up. Some of my ideas didn't work and I had to think of something else. I hate writer's block. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59 ~ Putting the Pieces Together

Sasha returned to the boarding house two hours after she had left, walking straight into the house without knocking, which irritated Vella.

Vella poured Sasha a drink and they both sat on the couch to talk.

"So what exactly is this all about?" Vella asked impatiently.

Sasha grinned at her. "So where is that hot husband of yours?"

Vella narrowed her eyes. "Busy."

"Such a shame," she said sighing.

"Will you just tell me why you're here so you can leave?"

Sasha laughed slightly, grinning. "Absolutely," she replied, then took a drink. "A man named John Gilbert paid me a visit a few weeks back."

Vella looked at her stunned. "Seriously?"

"I'm not sure how he knew that we had gone to college together, but he did," Sasha said while looking at Vella strangely. "He must not have known I was a witch though, or he wouldn't have let me touch him."

"What did you see?"

Sasha shook her head lightly. "It was strange. I saw you and a man, who I now know is Damon and another man."

Vella got up and walked over to a table and picked up a photograph of Stefan. "Was this the other man?"

Sasha nodded. "Yes, that's him."

"That's Damon's brother, Stefan."

Sasha seemed to think for a moment. "He means harm to you, Vella. That much I could tell. That's why I came. Even though we had our differences, we were once very close and I wouldn't wish you harm."

"What exactly did he want from you?"

"I'm still not sure," Sasha said, shaking her head. "But he was asking about your relationships while you were at school."

Vella looked at her strangely. "You mean, Tommy?"

"Not just, Tommy. He also wanted to know about your friends and such." Vella looked at Sasha uneasily. "I didn't tell him anything. Just about you and Tommy, but he seemed to know all about that."

"How did you get him to stop asking questions?"

Sasha began to smirk. "You know me, Vella. I just told him to get lost."

"And used your magic, no doubt?"

"No doubt," she replied grinning.

Vella smiled weakly and began to pace a few steps back and forth. After a minute of thinking, she stopped suddenly and looked at Sasha with a look of fear. "Please tell me you didn't mention, Mara?"

Sasha shook her head. "Absolutely not."

Vella relaxed slightly and began to pace again. Sasha only allowed her to pace for a minute, before she walked over to her and put her arm on her shoulder. Vella felt a sudden jolt as she saw something from touching Sasha. She wrenched herself away from Sasha, staring at her horrified.

"What did you see?" Sasha asked concerned.

Vella was breathing heavily, terrified.

"What is it?" Sasha asked almost hysterical.

Vella began shaking her head, her eyes looking wildly. "No, it can't be. I can't let that happen."

Sasha slapped Vella across the face once, as hard as she could. While it didn't hurt Vella, it did stun her enough to think clearly.

"I'm so sorry," Vella apologized.

"Never mind that. What did you see?"

"It was strange. Usually I see things that have happened to people, but this was more of a premonition. Something that hasn't happened yet."

"What was it?"

"I think you need to go home. Get out of here, Sasha."

"Not until you tell me what you saw."

Vella stood defiantly, refusing to tell Sasha anything, when suddenly she felt a terrible pain in her head. The pain dropped her to her knees and then on to the floor, writhing in agony. She screamed out, but the pain wouldn't abate no matter how hard she fought against it. It was only seconds later, the pain stopped and she looked up to see Damon almost strangling Sasha.

"No!" Vella cried out, hoarsely.

Damon pushed Sasha violently down on the ground and ran over to Vella, helping her stand up. Vella was leaning heavily on Damon, breathing heavily.

"I'm okay," Vella said, knowing Damon was going to ask.

"What's going on?" he asked, gently stroking the hair from her face.

"Nothing, really," she replied, while standing up on her own.

Damon was about to open his mouth, when Vella walked over to Sasha to make sure she was okay. She helped her sit up and then Sasha pushed her off, getting up on her own.

Sasha gave a dirty look to Damon and then looked at Vella apologetically. "I'm sorry, Vella."

"It's forgotten," she said nonchalantly. "But you need to go home. You're in danger as long as you stay here."

"You saw my death, didn't you?" Sasha asked, her voice cracking slightly.

Vella frowned and shook her head, but didn't answer. It was enough for Sasha, however.

"You know visions like that aren't one hundred percent, right?"

"I know, Sasha, but...it seemed so real."

Sasha laughed it off, unwilling to take it seriously. She bid Vella and Damon farewell and left the boarding house.

Vella began to pace back and forth again, clearly agitated. Damon got two glasses, poured scotch in both, walked over to Vella and handed her one of the glasses. She stopped pacing long enough to drink it down and then began pacing once more.

Damon watched Vella for a few minutes, before her pacing irritated him. "How is your pacing going to help?"

Vella stopped and glared at Damon. "And your sarcasm, how is that helping?"

Damon grinned at her in a teasing way, but she wasn't in the mood. She crossed her arms in frustration and glared daggers at him. He decided another approach would be best.

"Have you figured out what John is up to yet?"

Vella unfolded her arms and gave Damon a suspicious look. "If I had, do you think I would be here pacing?"

Damon laughed slightly, without meaning to, which earned him another dirty look. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? Well isn't that kind of you?" Vella asked rhetorically. "So you think all of this is a joke?"

Damon approached Vella with a regretful look, taking her by the shoulders. "Of course, I don't. But all this worrying is not going to help."

Vella shrugged his arms off of her. "How very astute of you."

"And all of this banter isn't getting us anywhere."

Vella sighed and put her hands against Damon's chest, looking down. Damon took her cue and wrapped his arms around her, leaning his head gently on to hers, breathing in the smell of her hair.

Vella closed her eyes tightly, while tears threatened to spill from her eyes out of frustration and anger at herself. She snuggled in Damon's arms, almost trying to hide, while he tightened them even more. She wasn't sure how long he held her for, but it was a short time later when Vella loosened herself from his arms and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"Do you feel calm now?" Damon asked her quietly.

"Yes, thank you," she answered with a smile.

"The only thanks I want is this," he said grinning, then pulled her close and kissed her deeply.

They kissed for only a few moments, when Vella's cell phone rang. Damon gave her a sad mocking look, when she answered her phone.

Vella walked across the room after she saw who it was, but Damon could still hear the conversation though. He pretended he didn't, hoping she would talk to him on her own. When she was done her call, she closed her phone, placed it back in her pocket and looked at Damon sadly.

"Spill," Damon said.

Vella looked at him surprised, then gave him a mock dirty look, which turned into a grin. "I should've known you would eavesdrop."

"Don't look so shocked," Damon replied with a wink.

Vella rolled her eyes at him. "It was, Jeremy. He gave me something the other day, he said he needs it back."

"You mean something of John's?"

She sighed. "It was a journal, John wrote around the time my parents were killed."

"How did Jeremy get it?"

"I don't know, I didn't ask, but I have to give it back to him. John's been looking for it."

"Can I read it first?"

"Sure. I only browsed through it. It made me sick to read." Vella ran upstairs, retrieved the book from under her bed and ran back into the livingroom, handing it to Damon.

Damon took the book, flopped onto the couch and began reading.

"I'm gonna go outside for a few," Vella told Damon, then walked out the front door. She walked into the trees and opened her phone, dialing a number.

"Tyler?"

"Vella?"

"Yeah, it's me. Have you heard anything yet?"

"No, nothing. My dad has been in a really bad mood too."

"An old friend of mine stopped by. John had been nosing around, looked her up. I can't say much over the phone. When I find out more I will call you."

"Okay, same here."

"Bye, Tyler."

"Bye."

Vella closed her phone, put it back in her pocket and walked back into the house. She took a seat in a chair in the livingroom, across from Damon. She leaned back in the chair, closing her eyes. The next thing she remembered, she was awakened by Damon shaking her violently.

"Vella!"

Vella looked into Damon's concerned eyes. "What?" she asked groggily.

"I couldn't wake you up. At one point your eyes were wide open but you weren't aware."

Vella looked at him curiously. "I don't even remember falling asleep."

"You know, you're really beginning to scare me," Damon said with obvious concern.

"I'm fine," she said, standing up. "Tell me about the journal. Did you read it all?"

"Don't change the subject, Vella."

Vella looked at him suspiciously. "I told you I'm fine, end of discussion. Now tell me what you read."

Damon sighed. He knew she would become too unreasonable if he didn't tell her, but he really didn't want to. "Can we talk about it later?"

Vella narrowed her eye's at him suspiciously. "No."

Damon was about to open his mouth, when there was a knock at the door. He ran to get it, avoiding Vella's glare.

Vella listened as Damon answered the door and then walked back into the livingroom, followed by Jeremy.

"Hey, Jer," Vella greeted. "Are you here for the book?"

"Yup. Uncle John has been tearing the house apart looking for it," Jeremy replied.

Vella picked up the book from the table and handed it to Jeremy. "Anything else I should know about?"

"Not as far as I know. But Jenna wants to know when you will help her with wedding stuff."

"Tell her I'll call her soon."

"Sure," Jeremy said. "I gotta get going so I can sneak this back in the house."

Jeremy started to turn around, when Vella stopped him. "Whatever you do, don't let him know anyone but you has even laid eyes on that book."

"I won't. I swear."

Vella nodded and Jeremy left the house quickly.

Damon was busy pouring himself a drink when Vella turned around. She walked over to him and grabbed the glass from his hand and drank it down in one gulp, smirkng at him.

Damon narrowed his eyes at her. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Nope."

Damon sighed and stepped forward, putting his arms around her and leaned in to kiss her. She pulled back from his lips and broke free of his embrace, giving him a frustrated look.

"That's not going to work with me either, Damon."

Damon grinned. "I always loved your persistence. Up until now, that is."

"Flattery won't work either.," she said sighing in frustration. "Just give up before I have to get rough."

Damon grinned and laughed lightly. "That sounds like fun."

"But it won't be. I'll make sure of that."

Damon sighed exaggeratedly, yanked Vella's arm and pulled her down onto the couch beside him. He looked at her gravely. "Are you really sure? Once you hear this..."

"Your warning is noted. And I love you for worrying, but I'm not a delicate flower."

"That's true, but I don't need you going off the deep end."

"Are you implying something?" she asked, glaring.

"If you want me to be honest, yes. You've been having a lot of difficulty in controlling your emotions lately."

"And that's unusual for a vampire?"

"No. But this isn't like you."

"We can talk about that later. Will you quit distracting me?" she asked shortly, sighing loudly.

Damon relented, although, very reluctantly.

"John wrote that he was adamant about killing your father, but undecided about your mother. But he broke in one day while everyone was out and he stole some of your mother's journals."

"Those must be the ones I can't find."

"That's what I figured," Damon said. "It was after he read what was written, that let him come to the decision he ultimately did."

Vella looked at Damon confused. "But they were killed by Lillith and Gabriel. How could John have something to do with that?"

"He didn't go into too much detail in his journal. But it sounds like he contacted those vampires somehow."

"That still doesn't explain how they got into the house," Vella said, looking more confused.

Damon stood up from the couch and poured himself a drink. He then looked at Vella apologetically.

"What?"

"John had been playing nice with your parents, making them drop their guard. He made some excuse as to why he needed a place to stay."

"Place to stay? What are you talking about?"

"It happened after you went out that day. He came over and asked if he could spend a night on the couch."

"Damon. I never saw John there that night. Not even as they took me away to the hospital."

Damon raised his glass to his lips and drank it's contents, then set the glass back down on the table. "I'm not sure why he wasn't there, but the fact is that he was. He convinced your mother to invite the vampires in."

"What? How?"

Damon walked back over to the couch and sat down. He took Vella's hands in his while he looked in her eyes. "He told your mom they were friends that came to pick him up."

"That son of a bitch!" Vella yelled as she wrenched her hands from Damon's and stood up. "He is a dead man!"

Vella went to run, but Damon was faster. He was beside her in an instant, holding on to her wrist.

"Let go of me, Damon!" Vella shrieked at him, trying to pull free from him.

Damon took hold of her other wrist and forced her to look at him. "You can't just go after him like this, Vella. He obviously came back to town with a plan. You might end up caught in it."

"I don't care!" Vella yelled with angry tears forming in her eyes. "He has to pay for what he's done!"

Damon looked at her sadly. He was fighting tears of his own, tears of fear. He was afraid of what might happen to Vella if she went off the deep end and went after John by herself.

"Vella, please listen. We will get John, but we need a plan. But we can't make a plan until we know what he's up to," Damon said calmly.

Vella slumped her head down and leaned against Damon, who wrapped his arms around her. She sighed loudly in defeat. "You're right."

"We will get him, Vella. I promise you that."

They held each other for a short time, before Vella spat out something that was bothering her.

"He meant for us all to be killed. My parents, my sister and me."

"You don't know that, Vella."

"It doesn't matter. He put this all into motion. Whatever happened is his fault." Vella looked up into Damon's eyes. "It's John's fault I'm a vampire, Damon."

Damon looked at her with anguish in his face. "No, Vella. That's not true and you know it."

"When are you going to stop blaming yourself? I thought we were past this?" she asked shortly.

"No matter what John did, it was my blood that changed you."

Vella placed a hand gently on the side of his face and spoke softly. "But if it wasn't for your blood I wouldn't be here. I would be dead, not undead."

Damon tried to turn his head, but Vella put her other hand on the other side of his face, forcing him to look at her.

"I would rather be a vampire and be here with you, then be dead, Damon. Your blood was a gift, period. I don't want to hear about it anymore."

Damon's anguish look vanished, replaced by a loving smile. "I love you so much, Vella."

"I love you too, Damon," Vella whispered. "Forever."

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, I'm trying. It's a bit shorter than I planned, but there should be some action soon lol.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 60 ~ Missing

Vella and Damon spent the night quietly together, watching movies. It was a wonderful distraction for Vella, who didn't even think of John once. Damon made sure of that.

The next day, they spent most of the time reading through Vivian's journals, hoping for some info they could use against John. At one point, it was Vella and Damon as well as Stefan, Elena and Alaric. No one however, found anything useful the entire day.

Sasha showed up later in the evening to visit, much to Vella's chagrin. Vella held no bad blood towards her, but Sasha wasn't her favorite person in the world to deal with.

The three of them, Damon, Vella and Sasha, ended up getting really drunk and dancing around the livingroom, singing and just being drunk and silly. When Stefan came home, the party ended and Sasha went back to her hotel room, while Damon and Vella passed out in their own room, still fully clothed.

The next morning, Vella woke up before Damon. She pondered whether she should wake him, but she didn't want to disturb his sleep. She sat in the chair beside the bed for a short time watching him sleep, before gathering up some clean clothes and heading off to the bathroom to have a shower.

She had an extra long shower, hoping that Damon would wake up and join her, but he didn't. So when she was finished, she got dried, dressed and put a little bit of make up on, then went downstairs to grab some coffee.

Vella walked into the kitchen hoping someone had already made coffee, but no one had, so she made some and walked into the livingroom to watch the morning news while she waited.

She normally watched the local news, but for some reason she felt the need to begin flipping to other channels. She landed on a Chicago station that was running an Amber alert at the botton of the screen. She read the name of the missing child, but couldn't completely comprehend what she read. Vella read it over and over more than a few times, but still couldn't believe it. Not until the journalist began talking about it and putting up pictures, that Vella's heart seemed to stop, tears welled up in her eyes and her hands balled up into fists.

Vella searched high and low for her cell phone, forgetting she had left it in the charger overnight. She grabbed it out and immediately dialed it.

"Hello?"

"Mara, oh my god. I am so sorry!" Vella said, tears running down her face.

"Vella, I am so scared," Mara cried, her voice cracking.

"I'm coming there today so we can talk."

"No, Vella. You don't have to do that."

"I have to. I can't let you go through this alone."

Mara was quiet for a few seconds, Vella could hear her sobbing. "I could really use a friend right now."

"I will be there as fast as I can."

"Okay."

"I swear I will find him for you, Mara. And when I do, the person will die a most painful death."

Mara began sobbing again. "Thank you. See you soon."

"I love you, Mara."

"I love you too, Vella."

Vella hung up the phone and screamed in anguish at the top of her lungs, then doubled over sobbing uncontrollably.

Damon ran downstairs, only wearing underwear, and put his arm around Vella, trying to get her to sit on the couch. She was sobbing and saying, "Oh my god," over and over.

Damon sat beside Vella with his arm around her trying to soothe her. He wanted to know what had gotten her so upset, but his attention was drawn to the TV, where he read the amber alert. His heart suddenly fell and he felt rage welling up inside of him.

When Vella was calm enough to speak again, she told Damon she was heading to Chicago. Of course he didn't object, in fact he said he would go with her. Vella packed clothes for the two of them, while Damon grabbed a thermos for the coffee, grabbed some blood and then wrote a note for Stefan.

The note read: _Gone to Chicago. Baby Anthony is missing and we've gone to see if we can find him. Will call you when we have time. Damon_.

Vella took their suitcases and threw them in the back of the car and jumped into the driver's side to wait for Damon. But when he came out, he gently persuaded her to let him drive instead. She reluctantly gave in, and hopped into the passenger's side to allow Damon to drive.

It took just over eight hours for them to get to Chicago, instead of the eleven to twelve hours it normally did. Vella was happy Damon drove, she was still an emotional mess.

They stopped the car a few houses down the street from Mara and David's house, there were a few police cars on the street close to the house, so they couldn't park any closer. As Vella got out of the car, Damon stopped her, grabbing her by her wrists and looked into her eyes.

"I need to know how you are," Damon said calmly. "Are you hungry?

"No," she replied with no emotion.

"Are you sure? We don't need you getting jittery, Mara and David are probably a wreck already."

Vella wanted to yell at Damon and tell him she was fine and didn't need to be reminded like a child, but the truth was she did. He was right. Mara and David didn't need extra stress. All she had thought about was finding Anthony, not about supporting her friends.

Vella sighed once deeply. "I'm okay, Damon. Really."

Damon wrapped his arms around her and kissed her lightly on the head. "You don't have to be strong for me, Vella."

"I know," she whispered. "But I do have to tell you something."

Damon stepped back slightly, so he could look into her eyes. "What's that?"

"I don't think I could do this without you."

"You would have managed."

"No. I don't think so," she said and kissed him on the cheek. "Let's go."

Damon took Vella's hand and walked her up to the front step. where an officer was standing outside the door.

"Who are you?" the officer asked rudely.

"We're friends of Mara and David. They knew we were coming," Vella said calmly.

"I'm going to have to ask them before I can allow you to disturb them."

Damon looked in the officer's eyes, compelling him to be agreeable. The officer opened the door for them and they walked in.

Vella practically ran down the hallway into the kitchen. Seeing Mara, she grabbed her into a hug and squeezed her tightly. Mara sobbed into her shoulder for a short time, before she was able to compose herself.

"I'm so glad you came," Mara said, stiffling a sob.

Vella nodded at her looking sadly. "Can I go into his bedroom?"

Mara looked at her surprised for a moment, then shook her head.

Vella took Mara's hand and walked out of the kitchen, down the hallway and into Anthony's nursery. Damon and David followed behind them, stopping in the doorway.

Vella turned and looked at Damon. "Make sure the police don't interrupt me, okay?"

Damon nodded, while David and Mara looked at her questioningly.

Vella walked over to Anthony's crib, and picked up a blanket that was lying in it. "Did Anthony sleep with this before he went missing?"

Mara nodded, tears welling up in her eyes.

Vella took the blanket and held it in her hands while closing her eyes. She could have cast the spell with her eyes open, but she was fighting back tears. She concentrated as hard as she could, trying to get a sense of what happened to the baby. It took a few minutes, but she got her answer. She placed the blanket back into the crib and took a step towards the door and nearly fell down. Damon moved in an instant, catching her before she hit the ground.

"I'm okay," Vella said breathlessly. "I just need to feed and I'll be fine."

"We don't have any in the house," David said. "Which is probably a good thing with all the police around."

"It's fine. We can go for a walk in a bit," Damon said, pulling Vella into his arms.

Mara stood quietly waiting, but the suspense was killing her. She needed to know what Vella had seen. "Vella, what did you see?"

Vella looked at her best friend and then to Damon. "Let's go into the kitchen," she said, looking back to her friend again.

Mara shook her head and turned around, grabbing her husband's hand and leading the way into the kitchen. Mara and David sat down, while Damon eased Vella into another chair and then he finally sat down.

"Mara. Tell me what happened," Vella asked gently.

Mara's eyes became vacant and her speech sounded like a recording. "Anthony was crying, so I went to check on him. He seemed hungry so I came into the kitchen to warm up a bottle. When I came back into his room he was gone."

"Just like that?"

"Yes."

Vella looked down at the table and put her hands on her temples. She was both exhausted and hungry on top of being angry and frustrated. She didn't want to tell her best friend what was going on, but she knew she couldn't lie to her. Mara was like sister and she knew she could never live with herself if she lied to her.

"This is all my fault. I'm so sorry, Mara," Vella said tearfully.

"I don't understand," Mara stammered. "How could this be your fault?"

Vella took a few deep breaths to prepare herself. She looked at her best friend, tears rolling down her cheeks. "It was a vampire who took Anthony."

"What!" Mara and David cried in unison.

"How? Why?" Mara asked.

Vella reached across the table and grabbed her friend's hands. "He won't hurt him. Not until he gets what he wants."

"How do you know? What does he want?"

Vella swallowed deeply, feeling very guilty. "He's just a lackey, Mara. He's just doing what he's told."

"So who would want to do this to me?"

Damon put his arm around Vella in support. He could tell by her shaking that she was fighting her emotions and he was afraid what she might do.

"It's not you he wants to hurt, it's me," Vella said quietly. "He wanted to get to me."

Mara pulled her hands from Vella's grip and put them in her lap. She looked sad and confused. David leaned over and put his arm around his wife in support.

Vella couldn't take the guilt she was feeling. She got up from the chair and walked out the back door and into the backyard.

Damon followed Vella, stopping a few feet behind her. "Vella?"

Vella turned around, tears streaming from her eyes. The make up she had so carefully put on in the morning had run all over her face. Damon held her tightly, letting her cry until she was able to talk.

"I don't understand something," Damon said. "How did the vampire get in the house without being invited?"

Vella looked at him strangely, thinking. "He posed as a postman delivering a package."

"So this was planned?"

Vella looked at Damon angrily. "John did this, Damon. John."

Damon wanted to say something, anything, but he was speechless. He knew John was devious but he never imagined he could stoop so low.

"Wait a minute," Damon said curiously. "Why would a vampire be helping, John?"

Vella looked at Damon as if she was confused. "I'm not sure, Damon. I'm too exhausted. I couldn't see everything."

Damon nodded knowingly. "Let's find something to eat."

After a very uneventful, but successful, hunt, Vella and Damon arrived back at Mara and David's house a little less jittery. Vella was half expecting to be chastised by Mara, but she couldn't. As upset as Mara was, she knew this wasn't Vella's fault. She also knew her friend well enough to know she would make it right, no matter what she had to do or how long it would take.

Vella and Damon stayed the night to support their friends. Before they left, Vella took Mara aside and made a promise to her. That she would find her son for her no matter what happened to herself, even if it meant death. Mara hugged her friend, telling her how much she loved her and watched as they left the house.

Vella let Damon get into the driver's side again, knowing she would be too preoccupied with trying to locate Anthony to drive. Before they pulled away, Damon looked at Vella with a serious look.

"Do you really think you can find him?"

"I know I can," Vella said confidently.

"Are you strong enough?"

Vella smiled at him lovingly. "Thanks for being concerned, Damon, but I'll be fine. Tired, but fine."

"So where are we going?"

"Hold on," Vella said, pulling out a stuffed teddy bear from her purse.

Vella held the bear in both hands and closed her eyes. Blurry images began floating through her mind. She opened her eyes suddenly and told Damon to drive towards Mystic Falls.

Damon did as she asked, driving almost as quickly as he had on the way to Chicago. The drive was very quiet, since Vella had to spend most of her time concentrating, she wasn't up for small talk or listening to the radio. They were just outside Georgia, when Vella announced loudly she needed to stop at the next hotel or motel.

Damon stopped the car in a small town in Tennessee that was close to the Georgian border. It was a town he had hoped to never be in again, but he didn't have a choice. He pulled the car into a motel parking lot, but before the car was barely stopped, Vella jumped out and ran into the office to get a room.

Damon was standing beside the car waiting when Vella came out of the office. She walked up to the car and said, "We're in room ten. Grab our stuff." And then she walked to room ten's door, unlocked it and went inside.

Damon was stunned by Vella's peculiar actions, but he shook his head and did what she asked of him. He grabbed their bags and brought them into their motel room, dropping them just inside the door.

"Vel-" He tried to call her name, but he had turned around and saw something that made him stop before her whole name could make it out of his mouth.

Vella was on her knees in front of the bed, her face was against the bed, but her head was cocked to the side at a strange angle. Damon ran to her at once and picked her up. Realizing she was unconcious, he laid her gently on the bed, climbing onto the other side of the bed and laid beside her.

Damon wasn't sure what time it was when he opened his eyes, but he noticed Vella was still asleep. He wrapped his arm around her, cuddling up as close to her as he could without disturbing her. He began to doze off again, but Vella began twitching in her sleep, which kept him from being able to relax enough. He decided to get out of the bed and leave her to rest. Getting up, he sat on the couch and turned the TV on. It only kept his interest for a few minutes since there was nothing on the few channels that came in. What he really need was either a very stiff drink or a very warm body to feed from. He decided on the latter, leaving the room to hunt, but refusing to go too far from the motel.

**A/N: I know, another short chapter, but I had to leave this one where it was. You will see why *wink***

**If you have any comments to share, please leave me review.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter 61 ~ Dangerous Delay

It didn't take long for Damon to find someone to feed from and not very far from the motel. He found a young woman who was taking a power walk, compelled her, fed and then began the short walk back to the motel. He was distracted by a sudden feeling of being watched as he walked back towards the motel room. He suddenly felt very uneasy about leaving Vella alone in the motel room, especially since it was almost dark, so he began to walk faster.  
As Damon approached the motel room he noticed the door was slightly ajar. He knew he hadn't left it open because he had checked the door twice before leaving. He stopped where he was so he could listen, trying to fight the urge to run in the room blindly. He heard several voices all talking at once, though one stood out from all of them, a voice Damon recognized. He knew now that Vella was in trouble and so was he. There was no putting this off, he had to swallow his fear and pride and walk right into that motel room.

Damon walked slowly towards the motel room door, making his footfalls loud purposely. He listened as the vampires inside the motel room got quiet, listening to his approach. He could also hear Vella. She seemed to be groaning in pain, which made him instantly angry. He had to keep his calm though or this encounter might be his, and Vella's, last. He sucked in a deep breath, brushed the door open and walked through the threshhold. Instantly, there were two vampires beside him, each grabbing one of his arms.

Damon scanned the area quickly. The two vampires who had a hold of his arm were both males. One was blonde with long hair and the other had short, dark hair that was wavy. There were three other vampires in the room. All three were standing by the bed, one male and two females. The male was very tall and had long brown hair that was in a ponytail. The female that was standing beside him had short curly red hair, she looked rather younthful. But the one Damon was staring at angrily, was a woman who had long dark hair that was perfectly straight. She was sitting on the bed beside Vella, with a wooden stake in one hand and in the other hand she was holding a stake down that she had ran through Vella's thigh. Damon caught Vella's eye and looked at her apologetically. He tried to keep the worry from his face, but he couldn't remove it from his eyes.

Vella was laying on the bed, half sitting up. The female vampire beside her was holding her down by the stake that she had stabbed through Vella's thigh. She was doing her best to keep quiet and calm, but she didn't feel that way. The last thing she remembered was walking into the motel room and then nothing. She figured she had passed out from exhaustion, the exertion from using her magic had been too much for her. The next thing she remembered was the burning pain of a wooden stake being thrusted through the upper part of her thigh and the cold eyes of a woman she had never met before, but she knew she was a vampire.

"Well, well. Nice to see you again, Damon," the female vampire standing by the bed said sarcastically.

Damon glared at her, speaking through gritted teeth. "I wish I could say the same, Cynthia."

Cynthia smiled at him evilly. "I didn't think you would dare come back here after what you did."

"And what was that?" Damon asked innocently.

Cynthia nodded to the blonde vampire, who smacked Damon across the face. Damon winced from the hit, but he didn't move from where he stood. Vella however struggled to move, but Cynthia pushed the stake deeper, making her cringe from the pain, but she didn't make a sound. She knew if she did Damon might try to be a hero.

"Do you want to try that again, Damon?" Cynthia asked with a sneer on her face.

Damon glared at her. "If you want to talk, take that stake out of her leg."

Cynthia snorted. "Do you really think I'm that stupid? This seems to be the only thing keeping you...calm."

Damon looked at Vella pleadingly. He was afraid she would try something that could get her killed. He wasn't sure he could get himself out of this mess, but he was determined to get her out of it.

"So is this your woman, Damon?" Cynthia asked in a mocking tone.

Damon glared at her. "She's my wife."

"Wife?" Cynthia exclaimed, then began to laugh. So did the other four vampires in the room.

"That's the funniest thing I've ever heard. Damon Salvatore getting married," she continued to mock. "You should really be a comedian."

"He's really my husband," Vella uttered weakly.

Cynthia looked at her intently. "You really have no idea what the real Damon Salvatore is like, do you?" Vella stared at her blankly. "Well you see, he plays all nice and sweet in the beginning, until he has you in love with him. Then he uses you, leaves you and makes it seem like you're the one at fault. And those are the lucky ones that survive."

Vella narrowed her eyes but didn't say anything. She knew who Damon was, no matter what he had done in his past.

Cynthia chuckled lightly. "He's really got you snowed, doesn't he? Damon will never change."

Damon glared at Cynthia, almost daring her to keep talking. She looked at him with pure malice, daring him to try something. The room was filled with a kind of electricity that made everyone nervous.

"Can we get on with this?" the male vampire with the ponytail who was standing beside the bed asked impatiently.

"Have patience, Derek," Cynthia replied.

"No, Cynthia. I need to hunt. I'm not lucky enough to be able to go out in the sun like you."

Cynthia glared at Derek and he shut his mouth. She turned her attention to Vella, smiling mischievously. "I bet Damon never told you how he got that necklace you're wearing, did he?"

Vella looked at Damon, who looked back with shame. Then she looked back at Cynthia with conviction. "It doesn't matter."

Cynthia looked at her angrily, but it wasn't her that she had to worry about. In a flash, the red headed female who was standing beside Derek, darted closer to Vella and smacked her across the face. Vella's face was flung to the side from the force, but she didnt cry out.

"That's enough, Tammy!" Cynthia yelled.

In the commotion, Damon tried to break free of the two vampires who were holding him, but they grabbed tighter, twisting his arms in opposite directions, the pain forcing him to his knees.

"Darren, Mike, let him up!" Cynthia demanded.

Vella sat there helplessly watching, her hands were tensing up into fists. She didn't know what was going on, but she knew she was still too weak to do much about it. She watched the two vampires that were holding Damon, let him stand up, but they didn't loosen their grips on his arm.

Cynthia reached out and yanked Vella's necklace off her neck and tossed it to Tammy. She looked Vella dead in the eye's with a despairing look. "Your _husband_, killed Tammy's sister, Florence for that necklace."

"Give it back to her!" Damon yelled. "She would have been killed either way. At least I killed her quickly."

Vella looked at Damon with a disappointed look. She didn't want to know anyone died for her Lapis Lazuli necklace. She also didn't want to question whether Damon had really changed as much as she had thought.

Cynthia's face turned into a sneer as she looked back at Damon. "Seems your woman isn't too happy with what you've done."

Damon glared at Cynthia evilly, growling lowly. "This has nothing to do with her."

"That's where you're wrong," she answered snidly.

"Do you know what Florence was involved in?"

"What are you talking about?"

Damon looked at her curiously. "You mean she didn't tell you?"

"He's lying!" Tammy exclaimed.

"You don't even know what I'm going to say, Tammy. So how do you know?" Damon questioned.

Tammy narrowed her eyes at him. "You always lie! Everything out of your mouth is a lie!"

Damon looked at her with a smirk, then turned back to Cynthia. "Florence was working for Katherine."

"He lies!" Tammy yelled at Cynthia. "Don't listen to him."

Cynthia muttered something under her breath to Derek, who moved beside Tammy, grabbing her arms behind her back. He whispered,"Stay still." And then Cynthia turned her attention back to Damon.

"How do you know this, Damon?"

"She admitted it."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

Damon grinned at her. "You don't. But I have no reason to lie."

"You can talk, that's reason enough for you."

"That's true, but in this case I'm not lying."

Cynthia turned her attention to Tammy, looking at her disappointedly. "Did your sister help Katherine?"

"No! She wouldn't do that!" Tammy cried.

Cynthia narrowed her eyes at her. "She's dead, Tammy. You don't have to cover for her now."

Tammy's eyes began to dart back and forth slightly. Her expression changed from fright to rage, while glancing between Cynthia and Damon. "She had to, Katherine threatened to kill her. You know how easy it was to frighten Flo."

Cynthia looked at her angrily. "And you knew this and didn't tell anyone?"

"I didn't know what to do," Tammy said fearfully. "I didn't want you to kill Flo and I didn't want Katherine to kill her...or me."

In one fluid motion, Cynthia nodded her head, tossed the stake in her other hand to Derek and he caught the stake and stabbed it through Tammy's heart. She convulsed for a few seconds, the sound of gurgling could be heard coming from her throat and then she turned gray and became limp. Derek let go of her, letting her drop unceremoniously to the floor.

The two vampires who had been holding Damon, had loosened their grips while watching Derek kill Tammy, Damon used this distraction to his advantage. He twisted both of their arms and pulled them until they slammed into each other, falling backwards. Derek was too quick though, he ran over to Damon and punched him in the chest, sending him flying into the wall, where he slid down shaking his head. Derek bent over and picked him up by the wrist and pierced his stomach with a wooden stake with his other hand.

Damon doubled over in pain, pulling the stake from his stomach and dropping it to the floor. He struggled to stand up, leaning against the wall, while Derek stood beside him, daring him to try something again.

Cynthia had been so distracted by what was going on, that she didn't noticed when Vella pulled the stake out of her thigh. Concentrating as hard as she could, Vella helped herself heal much quicker than normal for a wound made from wood. It made her a little more sluggish, but she was still alert enough to defend herself. She held the stake so it was hidden beside her, ready to strike if need be.

Once everything calmed down, Cynthia once again turned her attention to Damon, who now had the same two vampires holding him, but Derek was also right beside them.

"Since you know so much, Damon. Why don't you tell me what Katherine has been up to and what she wanted with Florence?"

Damon looked at her wearily. "I have no idea what she wanted with Florence, it's not like the woman could ever tell the truth."

"Where is she now?"

"Dead."

"Dead? Seriously?"

Damon glanced quickly in Vella's direction, then back to Cynthia. "Yes."

Cynthia looked at him curiously. "How do you know?"

"I killed her."

"You? You killed Katherine?" she laughed in total disbelief. "Damon Salvatore, the one who was so in love with her and you killed her. Didn't I say he was a comedian?" she said to no one in particular. "I'm sorry I don't believe you."

"He did," Vella said matter of factly.

Cynthia narrowed her eyes at Vella. "Were you there?"

"Yes, I was. So was his brother, Stefan."

Cynthia turned her attention away from Vella. She seemed to be mulling an idea around in her head while she stared at Damon intently. She looked at Darren and Mike and asked them to let go of Damon, sending a look to Derek. The two vampires let him go, stepping to the side a few steps. Damon wobbled a little, then stood up on his own, looking at Cynthia curiously. Cynthia walked away from the bed and stopped beside Derek. She mumbled something wordlessly and he walked over to take the place beside the bed where she had stood. She turned to look at Damon with an unusual expression.

"Come with me," she said, grabbing Damon's wrist.

Damon shook his head, glancing over at Vella. "No."

Cynthia sighed exasperatedly. "She'll be fine, I swear."

Damon glanced over at Vella again, who nodded her head and smiled weakly. He smiled back slightly and let Cynthia take him outside.

"What do you want that you couldn't say in there, Cynthia?" Damon asked when she let go of his wrist.

"I wanted to apologize," Cynthia replied weakly.

Damon snorted. "Do you think that makes a difference now?"

"I know you're angry, but I didn't have a choice."

"You did, Cynthia. You didn't have to do this."

"What would you have done? You would have killed and asked questions later."

Damon narrowed his eyes. "Maybe."

"Damon, I'm sorry, really. All I had was what Tammy told me."

Damon looked at her and smirked. The smirk sent a chill through Cynthia. "If it wasn't for my wife, I would kill you here and now."

"So you have changed. At least while your wife is around."

Damon grabbed her by the throat suddenly with a menacing look. "I have changed, whether you want to believe it or not. But she would completely understand if I killed you for what you did to her." He let go of her throat, watching with satisfaction as she struggled for breath. "Especially after telling her where the necklace came from."

"I really am sorry about that."

Damon laughed sarcastically. "Come now, Cynthia. You've been waiting for a chance to get back at me for years."

"That's true," she said, laughing nervously. "Guess we're even now."

Damon looked at her intently, which made Cynthia nervous. "Yeah, we're even."

Cynthia looked at him gratefully. "I'm gonna go get the guys and we'll leave you alone."

Damon nodded and began walking back towards the motel room when he thought of something. "Hold on. I have a question."

Cynthia looked at him curiously.

"Have you seen or heard a vampire come through town with a baby?"

She looked at him confused. "A baby? What would a vampire be doing with a baby?"

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. But I need you to do something...if you really want me to forget what happened tonight."

Cynthia studied Damon's face for a moment before answering. "What is it?"

"Keep an eye out for a vampire with a baby boy."

"Is it your wife's baby?"

Damon laughed deeply, then got serious. "No, it's not. It's her best friend's baby. He was taken from his home."

"Then I promise we will keep our ears out," she agreed. "How would I contact you if I find out anything?"

"Let's go inside and I will give you my number."

Cynthia nodded her head and opened the door, allowing Damon to walk in first. He broke into a smile when he saw Vella, walking over to the bed and hugged her tightly.

Vella hugged him back, happy that he was okay even though she was angry with him. It felt surreal to hold him after the ordeal. She watched with curiosity as Darren and Mike left the room, while Cynthia and Derek huddled by the door talking so quietly, even her vampire ears could barely pick up any sound. All she wanted to do was sleep. Her mind and body were totally exhausted just from using her magic. That wasn't counting the anger and disappointment she felt towards Damon at this moment. She decided to worry about it later. She allowed Damon to help her lie down, she cuddled up to him and found she was soon asleep.

After helping Vella go back to sleep, Damon escorted Cynthia and Derek outside of the motel room.

"I'm sure I can safely say we won't be bothered again as long as we're in town," Damon said. It was more of a statement than a question.

Derek nodded and ran off into the night, leaving Cynthia standing beside Damon.

"Yes. We won't bother you again."

"Good. My wife might need a day or two to recover."

Cynthia looked ay him curiously. "What exactly is wrong with her?"

Damon narrowed his eyes in suspicion, studying her carefully. "She's not just a vampire. She's also a witch."

"What?" Cynthia said horrified. "That can't be!"

"It's true."

"There's no way. There hasn't been one in a really long time."

Damon smiled with amusement.

"Damon, you have to be careful," she warned.

"About what?"

"My umm, sire, knew one. He was hundreds of years old and knew her."  
"What's your point?" Damon asked irritated.

"Just be careful. The vampire blood running through her will make it more difficult for her to control herself. Maybe even unpredictable at times," she said pausing for a minute, then smiled. "Somehow I think that if anyone could keep her safe and controlled, it would be you."

Damon narrowed his eyes. "Is that a compliment?"

"Absolutely," she replied with no hint of sarcasm.

Damon grinned and began walking towards the motel, then turned back to Cynthia. "Thanks," he said before walking into the motel room.

**A/N: Was that a surprise for you? I hope so. It might take me a bit longer for the next one, I have many ideas but I'm also not feeling well. Willd o my best to update ASAP though.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	62. Chapter 62

Chapter 62 ~ The Search Continues

Vella slept the rest of that night undisturbed and well into the next day. The sun was just going down when she began to toss around fitfully.

Damon watched over Vella, her silent guardian the entire time she slept. He didn't even move when he began to feel that familiar burning and itching in his throat that told him he was hungry. He knew that Cynthia would make sure he was left alone, but he couldn't bare to leave Vella alone again, even for a second. It wasn't a completely unselfish gesture, however. He was feeling extremely guilty. It wasn't because he had put her in danger. It wasn't even because he had lied to her. It was because he had let her down. He remembered the look of disappointment she had given him when she heard where the necklace had come from. The look she gave him, hurt him deep down inside to the deepest recesses of his heart. It was very close to the pain he had felt when he thought he had lost her forever.

The sun was all the way down when Vella woke up that day. She was out of sorts at first, but all of the memories of what had happened in the past few days came flooding back to her quickly. She looked at Damon gratefully and asked if she could take a shower before doing anything else. Not only did she need one, she wanted some time to think clearly before speaking to Damon for any length of time.

The shower cleansed her body, but not her mind. Vella spent the entire time thinking about the necklace and how she felt about the whole situation. She was angry and disappointed but she didn't really have time to deal with it right now. She had lost two days in her search for Anthony. The longer it took to find him, the tougher it would be to find him and the more danger the little boy was in. For Vella, that was more important than how she felt towards Damon or some silly necklace.

Vella walked out of the bathroom, avoiding Damon's gaze. He was sitting on the bed exactly where he had been when she had entered the bathroom for her shower. She felt his eyes on her as she put her toiletries back into her suitcase and folded her dirty clothes and packed them as well. She couldn't stand the awkward silence any longer. She looked at him as straight faced as she could.

"I'm not ready to talk about it, Damon. Don't get me wrong. I'm not pleased, but I have more important things to worry about right now."

Damon nodded, trying not to frown but Vella could see it in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Vella turned her gaze from his eyes, it was too painful for her to look into them right now. She was often blinded by her love for him, but right now she could see everything clearly. It was her fault for thinking he could change completely, she knew that now. She vowed to herself, once everything was over and quieted down, she would talk to Damon, explain how she felt. But right now she couldn't. She had to concentrate on finding Anthony.

They gathered their things without speaking and checked out of the motel. Vella went to find food alone, while Damon did the same. They arrived back at the car within moments of each other.

"Do you still want me to drive?" Damon asked.

"Yes, please."

"Where are we going?"

"Back to Mystic Falls."

Those were the last words Vella and Damon spoke to each other until they arrived back at the boarding house several hours later. Damon wanted to talk, but he assumed Vella needed to concentrate on her spells, so he didn't chance it. The truth was, she barely used her magic at all. The trail she had followed three days before, still led towards Mystic Falls, so she only checked up on it occasionally during the car ride.

Damon unpacked the car, while Vella went upstairs to avoid everyone in the house. She sat on the chair beside the window, staring out into the beautiful, clear blue sky. Damon walked in the room to put their suitcases away and to grab the dirty laundry so he could wash it. He opened his mouth to say something, but he just couldn't. He was too afraid of what she might say to him. He left the room as quietly as he entered, leaving her to her thoughts.

Vella wasn't sure how long she stared out that window, completely lost in her thoughts, but she could tell it had been a while by the movement of the sun. She had been roused by a particularly noisy bird that had flown by the window, later she would wonder if it was the work of Damon. She got up from the chair and walked to the doorway, standing still for a few moments trying to listen to any conversations that might be taking place downstairs, but it was quiet. Taking a deep breath and sighing, she readied herself and headed downstairs into the livingroom.

Vella was surprised to see Damon asleep on the couch, while Stefan and Elena sat on chairs beside each other watching TV. She decided to ignore them and walked into the kitchen. Grabbing a beer from the fridge and taking a seat at the table, she opened it and took a swig. It wasn't more than a minute later that Elena came bursting into the kitchen, with Stefan only steps behind.

"What's going on?" Elena asked with attitude.

Vella looked at her with a mix of confusion and curiosity. "With what?"

Stefan put his hand on Elena's shoulder. "Elena, stay out of it."

Elena shook her head in refusal. "What's going on with you and Damon?"

Vella narrowed her eyes at her angrily. "That's none of your business, Elena."

"I think it is."

Vella snorted. "Go away, Elena."

"Let's go," Stefan said to Elena.

"No, not until I say what I have to say."

Vella rolled her eyes impatiently. "Just say it."

Elena looked at her frustrated. "I don't know what happened with you and Damon while you were gone, but he is very upset. But I'm sure you're not surprised." Vella shrugged. "He is completely exhausted. He watched over you while you slept for almost two days and he didn't even sleep a wink. And here you are being selfish about it."

"You have no idea what you're talking about, I assure you," Vella replied acidly.

"Really? He went to help you find your friend's baby and you aren't even grateful."

Vella took in a deep breath, trying to control herself. With everything that had gone on in the past few days she didnt need this. Damon was the one who had wronged her, yet she was the one being chastised.

"Get her out of here, Stefan," she warned, her hands curling into tight fists.

Stefan took Elena's hand and began to lead her out of the kitchen, but Elena refused.

"No, Stefan. I'm not done."

Vella got up from the table and ran to face Elena, stopping only a few inches from her. Simultaneously, Stefan let go of Elena's hand and moved to stand between the two of them.

"First of all, you have no idea what happened while we were gone," she said seething. "And second of all, your uncle is the one who has his hand in the baby's kidnapping. So if anything, you should be worrying about what he's up to."

The comment about her uncle, hit Elena like a slap across the face. She had no idea how to reply to her accusation's. She was never close to her uncle, but she didn't want to think he could do something so terrible. She looked at Vella apologetically and began to turn away, when Vella grabbed her shoulder.

"Damon, is not your concern, Elena. He can take care of himself," she said, letting go of her shoulder.

Stefan looked at Vella sternly, but didn't say a word as he ushered Elena out of the kitchen.

Vella sat back at the table and finished her beer, reading the newspaper that had been left there. The front page was covered with news of Anthony's disappearance. She quickly folded the paper so she didnt have to look at it. Instead, she perused the rest of the paper, just trying to keep her mind off of everything. It helped for a few minutes, but it didn't last. All she could think about was Elena. It wasn't so much what she had said, but the meaning and the feeling behind the confrontation. She knew that Elena cared about Damon and he felt the same way. She also knew that Elena held a special part of Damon's heart that Vella would never be able to touch. It had never bothered her before, but Elena's outburst proved she had some feelings towards him as well and she didn't like it.

Vella felt the familiar tingle in her eyes that told her tears were on the verge of spilling. She closed her eyes in frustration, trying to keep them at bay. She knew it was silly and foolish to worry about Elena, but sometimes love is irrational.

When she was finally able to calm herself down, Vella realized the sun was going down. She got up from the table and walked into the livingroom, seeing no trace of Stefan or Elena. She silently walked over to where Damon was laying and watched him sleep for a moment. She ripped the necklace from her neck and placed it on the coffee table directly across from where he slept. She paused once more to watch him sleep, then quietly slipped out of the boarding house doors.

Vella had no thought of direction as she ran from the house, holding a tiny stuffed bear in her hand. She just knew she only had a few hours to find Anthony, before the sun would make its reappearance. Using the bear, she could sense the direction she had to go in, which was opposite from where she was going. She headed the opposite way, towards the old graveyard by Wickery bridge.

As Vella approached the graveyard, she began to feel something strange. She wasn't sure what it was and she definitely wasn't sure she wanted to know. She wasn't afraid. She just felt, strange. It was the only way she could describe it. She approached it slowly, with all her senses on alert, looking for any movement and listening for any sound. The only things she heard were creatures of the night. Birds, insects, small rodents and the occasional larger animal. She did smell something unusual though. Something that was out of place here in the graveyard, human blood. It was a smell she couldn't mistake for anything else.

Vella walked quickly towards the direction she could smell the blood. She couldn't hear any heartbeat or breathing, so she assumed whoever it was, was probably dead. As she approached some bushes that were on the edges of the graveyard, she saw some blonde hair laying on the ground, protruding from under the bushes. She walked around the bushes and squatted down to see who it was. The body was lying face down in the grass, so she had to turn the body over to see who it was. From what she could see, she only knew it was a woman. As she turned the body over, she gasped as she laid eyes on her face.

"Sasha!" Vella cried out, craddling her in her arms.  
Vella rocked back and forth while still craddling Sasha's lifeless body in her arms, crying almost uncontrollably. She had seen a vision of Sasha's death only a few days before. A vision that Sasha herself didn't believe would happen. It frightened her now.

Once she was able to compose herself, Vella checked Sasha's body for trauma. She found two holes on the left side of her neck, where her blood had flowed from, staining her shirt and the ground. Vella knew it was the work of a vampire. But she could also tell this was more of a killing than a feeding. No vampire that was going to kill for food, would leave enough blood in her body to spill out and be wasted. It was murder, she was positive of it.

With additional anger clouding her mind, she left in search of some answers. Gently placing Sasha's body down and out of sight before leaving.

Damon tossed in his sleep a bit, almost falling off of the couch. The near fall made him open his eyes quickly, trying to remember where he was. It was dark in the livingroom. Only a pale light came from off in the distance towards the hallway. His eyes fell on the necklace, that had been placed on the table beside the couch, as he sat up. He picked it up in his hands, looking at it horrified. He knew Vella was somewhere without the necklace to protect her from the sun and he had no idea what time it was.

Damon got up from the couch and looked towards the large grandfather clock across the room, the time read 1:23. He only had a few hours to find her before the sun would come up. The wave of panic that ran through him was almost debilitating. So much so, he was finding it difficult to think. All he knew was he had to find her.

A quick stop to listen, revealed his brother was in his room snoring quietly. Damon ran to Stefan's room and opened the door, no time for him to knock, and walked in.

"Stefan!" Damon said very loudly.

Stefan sat up in bed almost instantly, rousing Elena who had been sleeping beside him. He looked at his brother wearily. "What do you want?"

"Get the hell out of bed now!"

"Damon..."

"Now, Stefan! Vella is out somewhere without her necklace and it's only a few hours until the sun comes up."

Stefan looked at Elena apologetically and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Elena nodded her head and then looked at Damon apologetically.

Damon almost missed the meaning behind the look, but as he was about to turn around to leave, it hit him. "What do you know?"

Elena shrugged her shoulders and looked away from Damon's burning glare.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Stefan buttoned up the last button on his shirt and put his hand on Damon's shoulder in support. "Elena and Vella had a disagreement earlier."

"They what?"

"It wasn't a big deal. She was defending you."

Damon snorted and laughed derisively. "Why would you do that?"

Elena looked at Damon confused. "It seemed like she was being unreasonable with you."

Damon shook his head a few times, glaring at Elena angrily. "Next time stay out of it. What happened while we were away, that was my fault. I accepted that I hurt her and needed to make it up to her." He turned and looked at his brother seriously. "You better help me find her, brother. If something happens to her...well...I will blame you for it. And if you think I was cold, vicious and inhumane before..." He ended his thought open ended and left the room quickly. The rage inside him was building up, mixing with his fear and panic, making it a lethal combination. He knew if he didn't get away now, he might just snap and do something he would regret.

Damon went downstairs and waited for his brother, who was almost right behind him.

"I'm sorry, Damon."

"Shut up!" he said, glaring at Stefan. "Let's just find Vella before it's too late."

Damon and Stefan both left in separate directions to search for Vella. Damon wasn't sure why, but he headed towards the old graveyard, near Wickery bridge, first. Vella had been known to visit her parents' grave when she was upset and he was hoping she was there and he had nothing to worry about.

Damon made the same discovery that Vella had only thirty minutes earlier, Sasha's dead body. He could smell Vella's scent on Sasha's clothing, so he knew she had been here. The only thing he didn't know was, where she could be now. He did the only thing he could do now, try to track her.

Stefan had no idea where Vella was or where she would have gone. He didn't know her nearly as well as Damon did and even he had no idea where she might have gone. He wasn't sure how much help he could be, but he wouldn't give up. He owed that much to his brother.

After wandering and searching fruitlessly for almost an hour, he decided to call for help. He knew it was late, but he hoped that Bonnie would be up to helping in the search.

Using the tiny stuffed bear, Vella continued to follow a completely invisible path, hopefully closer to Anthony. She was beginning to think there was some kind of trick as the path seemed to wind around, almost in circles at times. She still followed it though, not wanting to lose the only lead she had to find the baby.

The path eventually lead towards a group of warehouses on the edge of town. A flicker of memory ran through her head as she approached them. It had been almost a year before that she had been kept captive in one of these warehouses, tortured by Katherine for days. She tried to shake the sense of foreboding she was feeling by being here again. She tried to tell herself that it was because of what had happened to her the last time, but there was more to it. She was just too distracted by her feelings and memories to think clearly.

As she walked between two of the warehouses, she could hear a baby cry from inside the one on her left. All rational thought left her head at the sound, sending her running headlong into the building with no thought or plan. Wrenching open the rusty door, she forgot her strength, pulling the door off of it's hinges. She threw it to the side and ran inside.

Vella was standing in a short hallway with three doors. One led to the right, one to the left and one straight ahead. She decided on the one straight ahead, since it seemed to be the most obvious way to go. She pushed open the double doors, letting them slam, and walked through. What she saw as she walked through the doors was more more of a surprise than she expected.

"Hello, Vella," John Gilbert greeted her. He was holding baby Anthony in his arms.

Vella noticed movement to the left of her just a second too late as a vampire slammed into her with all his weight, sending her flying all the way across the room, slamming into the outer wall of the warehouse. She shook her head and jumped up quickly, just in time to dodge the vampire's fist. She countered with a kick to his groin, that sent him flying backwards about ten feet, landing on the floor, cringing in pain.

Vella laughed momentarily, then ran towards John. She got within twenty feet of him, before she was stopped suddenly by some unseen force that kept her from going any further.

John looked at her with an evil grin. "I knew you would show up alone. You're so predictable."

Vella glared at him, growling loudly. "Give me the baby or you're going to regret ever being born."

"Somehow I think you're wrong about that," he said with a sneer. "You're the one who will regret being born. Or is that, reborn?"

Vella looked at him confused. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You'll see."

Vella was so distracted that she didn't notice the vampire sneak up behind her. He stabbed a stake through her stomach from behind, making her fall forward. He caught her by the shoulder before she could fall over. All she could do was look at John with her mouth open in shock. Until the vampire stabbed her again in the shoulder, only this time it was a needle full of vervain. She passed out before she even realized what was happening.

**A/N: Will do my best to update as soon as I can. Have a lot of ideas running through my head so I have to sort through them first lol. Feel free to leave a review.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	63. Chapter 63

Chapter 63 ~ John's Revenge

Vella opened her eyes slowly and carefully, trying to figure out where she was. The last thing she remembered was standing in front of John Gilbert, who had baby Anthony in his hands. As her eyes opened just enough to see, she noticed she was still in the warehouse and she was lying on the cold, hard, cement floor. She could see John speaking to a woman she didn't know.

She closed her eyes again, searching for the strength inside her. The vervain had weakened her considerably. She laid there unmoving for as long as she could before the male vampire pulled her up by her arm, trying to make her stand up on her own.

"I know you're awake," he said to her menacingly. "Stand up."

Vella tried to stand up, but the most she could do was lean on the vampire who was holding her. She felt like she could fall over at any moment. She kept her eyes open and fixed on John, who turned and smiled at her evilly.

"Now that you're alert enough to know what's going on. I guess I can get on with this," John said, still smirking at her.

"Where's Anthony?" she asked weakly.

"You don't have to worry about him. You should be worrying about yourself."

Vella glared at him. "Where is he?" she demanded.

The male vampire let go of Vella's arm, grabbed her by her hair, pulling her head back, forcing her to stare into his eyes. He was about to say something when John stopped him.  
"That's enough, Marshall."

The vampire, Marshall, let go of Vella's hair and grabbed her arm roughly.

"Why are you helping him?" Vella whispered so quietly no one but her and Marshall would be able to hear.

Marshall looked at her sternly. "Revenge."

"Revenge on who?"

"Damon Salvatore."

Vella looked at him confused. "I don't understand."

Marshall looked at her angrily. "It's a very long story, but it ends with Damon killing my mate."

Vella looked at him sadly, feeling her resolution fading. She didn't have the strength to fight and she wasn't sure what she was fighting for anymore. Her life had ended once. What did it matter if it happened again? She was too physically and emotionally weak to care enough about it at the moment.

Two women walked through a set of doors to Vella's right, as she was contemplating things. They walked up to John and uttered, "It's time," in unison. John then looked at Vella with a smile so evil, it scared Vella. He nodded to Marshall, who threw Vella down to the ground and backed up to the doors behind them, quickly leaving through them.

The three women formed a loose circle around Vella's crumpled heap and began chanting. John walked close to them, as Vella raised her head up to stare at him in astonishment.

"Here comes the fun part, Vella. My revenge," John said.

"What are you doing?" Vella managed to ask weakly.

John laughed wickedly. "By the time the sun comes up, you will be human again."

"How is that revenge, John?"

"You've been a vampire for two years. It won't be easy for you to be human again."

Vella laughed weakly. "I was human for twenty five years, I think I will be just fine."

John gave her a look that made her cringe inside. "Did I forget to mention the little catch?"

Vella stared at him blankly as he laughed.

"The catch is, Damon cannot change you back himself. Because if he tries... well... let's just say you'll die, permanently."

Vella looked at him panicked. "You're insane!"

John laughed with obvious pleasure. "I must go now. I have things to do. The three witches should have taken care of you by sunrise and then I will visit with you again."

"You monster!" Vella yelled weakly as John turned and left the warehouse, still laughing.

Vella tried to get up, but whatever the witches were doing had her almost completely immobilised. She tried to push at them with her own magic, but it did nothing but drain her energy quicker. Her head started to spin and her eyesight began to become blurry.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed when she saw one of the witches waiver. The witch began to get weak, almost falling over. The words of one of the other witches encouraged her to keep going. Vella watched them carefully. As time went on, each of the witches began to falter, giving her a chance to try and push back. She tried but she was too exhausted for it to be very effective. She laid down on the cement floor feeling defeated.

It was only moments after she laid on the floor, she heard a slamming sound that shook the building. The witches looked at each other strangely but kept on chanting. Suddenly, Damon came bursting into the room with Stefan and Bonnie behind him. He began to run towards the witches when Bonnie yelled, "Stop!" at the top of her lungs.

Damon stopped instantly, turning around to look at Bonnie. "What?"

"You can't interrupt the spell or Vella might get hurt," Bonnie replied with a look of concentration on her face.

"What are they doing to her?"

Bonnie looked at him with a mixture of confusion and anger. It had only taken her a moment to figure it out, but she didn't want to tell Damon.

"What is it, Bonnie?" Damon asked frustrated.

Bonnie shook her head and closed her eyes, concentrating. She wasn't sure if she could stop or reverse the spell, but she intended on trying.

Damon watched helplessly as Vella laid on the floor unmoving. He called out to her a few times, but he wasn't sure if she could even hear him. So many emotions were going through him at once, he was having a very difficult time keeping himself from slaughtering the three witches on the spot.

Stefan watched his brother as he struggled with himself. He kept himself close enough to Damon, in case he needed to stop him from doing something crazy. He wasn't sure what Damon would do if Vella died, but he was sure he wouldn't even try and stop him. He knew he would do the same if something happened to Elena.

It was many minutes later, when they heard a strange sound coming from the far end of the warehouse. From a distance it sounded like a cat mewing. Stefan left his brother, hesitantly, and ran to the other side of the room, where he found a playpen, with a baby laying inside. It was Anthony.

Stefan picked the baby up, wrapped him in the blankets from the playpen and craddled him gently in his arms. He walked back over to his brother and Bonnie, showing Damon the baby.

Damon smiled gratefully at his brother as his face found Anthony's. Anthony was looking up at Damon with a chubby-cheeked, slobbery smile. He wanted to reach out and take the baby, but he couldn't right now. He needed to keep an eye on the witches.

It was only a few minutes after finding the baby, when all three of the witches fell to the ground simultaneously. Damon ran to the nearest one, picked her up and ripped open her neck. He didn't feed on her, just tore her neck out and let her drop to the floor.

Stefan wanted to stop him, but with the baby in his arms and Bonnie feeling weak, he had his hands full.

Damon systematically killed all three of the witches, then went over to Vella and picked her up in his arms. She didn't move or make a sound, but she was breathing. He craddled her body against him like a large child and walked over to Stefan and Bonnie, wiping a tear on Vella's sleeve before speaking.

"Are you okay, Bonnie?"

Bonnie nodded her head. "Yes, I'm fine, Damon."

Damon looked at his brother. "Can you handle the baby? I want to get Vella home quickly."

"Go ahead, Damon. I will be there as soon as I take Bonnie home."

Damon nodded at his brother, thanked Bonnie, then headed back to the boarding house at a quick run. Elena was waiting in the livingroom as he arrived home, but he ignored her and took Vella up to their room, lying her gently on the bed.

Elena came up to Damon's room, stopping in the doorway. "Do you need anything?"

Damon glared at Elena. "Yes, to be left alone."

Elena nodded and walked back downstairs to leave him alone.

Damon laid beside Vella on the bed and began stroking her hair. It kept him calm and peaceful, even though he was feeling angry and vengeful. He was psychologically drained, probably more so than he was physically drained. He was lying there, halfway between wake and sleep, when he heard Stefan come home.

Damon didn't want to leave Vella alone, but he knew she was safe. He walked downstairs and into the livingroom, where his brother was talking to Elena, who was holding Anthony. Damon didn't wait for an answer. He scooped the baby from Elena's arms, kissing him on the top of his soft head, cradling him against his chest.

"Call Mara and David. Let them know Anthony is safe," Damon said to Stefan. Then he turned to Elena. "As soon as a store is open, go get some baby stuff. I'm sure he's hungry and wet." He took his wallet out of his pocket and handed Elena a bunch of bills. "That should be enough."

"What are you going to do?" Stefan asked his brother.

"I'm going to take Anthony upstairs to see Vella." Damon didn't wait for any more conversation or a reaction, he just left the room promptly so he didn't have to deal with them any longer.

When he got to the bedroom he shared with Vella, he climbed on the bed beside her, laying little Anthony beside her. He wasn't sure, but it seemed that Anthony knew her. He began to coo and babble slightly as he cuddled up beside her. Damon thought it was the most adorable thing he had ever seen. It made him secretly wish he could have a baby with Vella.

A very short time later, Bonnie came upstairs and stood in the door of the bedroom.

Damon had his wrist up to Vella's mouth, when Bonnie walked in. He tore his arm away quickly when he realized she was there.

"What the hell are you doing, Damon!" Bonnie asked startled.

"I wanted her to heal quicker."

Bonnie looked at him with shock and sadness on her face. "How much did you feed her?"

Damon shrugged. "I don't know, why?"

"This is not good," she said, going around to the other side of the bed. She sat down and put her hand on Vella's arm gently.

"Bonnie, what's going on?" he asked concerned. "I thought you had went home."

"I was going to, but..."

"But, what? What's wrong with her?"

"The spell the witches cast on her..."

"What are you not telling me, Bonnie?"

Bonnie sighed, looking at Damon apologetically. "The spell that was cast, was to bring Vella back to life, so to speak. Meaning, she wouldn't be a vampire anymore."

"Then why were you afraid of me giving her my blood?"

"They added a twist. If your blood is in her system and she dies, she will die, she won't become a vampire."

"What?"

"I'm sorry, Damon."

"Why would they do this? They didn't know us."

Bonnie shrugged her shoulders and looked out the window. "I don't know. Vella might know. Hopefully she will be awake soon."

"Is she...?"

"I don't know. There's no way to tell until she wakes up."

Damon sighed, scooping the baby up from the bed in his arms. He walked over to the chair beside the bed, sat down and rocked Anthony gently.

Bonnie got up from the bed and walked around it, to stand beside Damon. She put her arm supportively on his shoulder. "It'll be okay, Damon."

Damon looked at Bonnie gratefully as she turned and left the room. He was so angry, yet peaceful. He realized that holding the baby was keeping him calm, no matter how much rage he was feeling. It was a strange thing for him, feeling this way. The baby wasn't even his, yet he felt so protective and loving towards him. It couldn't stop him from thinking about Vella though. Who would have done this to her? Why would they do this to her? The questions kept running through his head. He had his suspicions of course. John Gilbert for one. But there had to be much more to this.

Anthony began to fuss about half an hour later, so Damon took him down to the livingroom so he wouldn't disturb Vella. The sun had just came up and he imagined he was hungry.

"If only you ate what I ate we would be all set," Damon whispered to the baby, chuckling.

He walked around the room trying to distract the baby while Elena was out. Nothing he did seemed to calm Anthony down and his crying became louder. The crying was painful to Damon's sensitive hearing. Soon he realized why he had never thought about babies before. They weren't always cute and happy, they could be loud and miserable too. He was walking by the hallway door, when Damon heard movement upstairs. He didn't want the baby to disturb Vella, but he couldn't just put the baby down anywhere. He reluctantly went upstairs into his bedroom. When he walked in, he found Vella sitting up in bed looking pale but irritated.

"Give me the baby, Damon," she said, holding out her arms.

Damon wasn't sure it was a good idea, but he did as she asked, then sat beside her in the bed.

Vella took Anthony and craddled him to her. She began to quietly sing a lullaby to soothe the baby. Almost instantly, Anthony was calm and began sucking on his thumb. Vella smiled at Damon as she continued to hum, gently rocking him at the same time. Damon smiled back at her lovingly, hiding his concern.

It wasn't long before Elena and Stefan returned to the boarding house with diapers, wipes, bottles and formula. Vella insisted on changing Anthony and feeding him, despite Damon's misgivings. And once he was fed, Anthony fell asleep in Vella's arms.

Vella was still holding the sleeping baby, when Mara and David arrived at the boarding house a few hours later. She hated to give him to his parents, but she would never had admitted it.

"Thank you so so much," Mara said, for the fifth time, hugging Vella and Damon.

"You don't need to thank me, Mara, trust me," Vella replied with guilt. She knew if it wasn't for John's obssession with revenge against her, it never would have happened.

All Damon could do was play it down, trying to seem all cool and collected, but Vella saw the truth in his eyes. She knew he loved the baby and would do anything for him, even without her urging.

Once the couple and the baby were settled in a room, Damon and Vella went back to their own to talk. They sat on the bed, holding hands, neither knowing what to say.

"Vella, how do you feel?"

"I feel fine but tired. Why?"

Damon looked into her eyes deeply. "I mean are you...okay?"

Vella looked at him strangely. "What exactly do you mean?"

Damon was fumbling for words, not really sure how to ask. He didn't know how much she knew about what happened to her in the warehouse.

"You want to know what happened to me, right?" she asked knowingly.

Damon nodded.

Vella uncurled her hand from his and leaned against his shoulder. "Can we talk about that later?"

"But..."

"I just want you to hold me right now."

Damon smiled, wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to his chest. "Anything you want."

"I love you, Damon," she whispered softly.

Damon kissed her on the top of her head, tears filling his eyes. "I love you, too."

**A/N: Am I evil leaving it this way? Truthfully, I haven't decided how this is going to end up so you should be as surprised as I am lol. It might take me a bit to update as I decide. I've been flip flopping with this for weeks as I lead up to this point and still couldn't decide. Feel free to leave suggestions if you want.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	64. Chapter 64

Chapter 64 ~ Aftermath

Damon held Vella in his arms for a very long time, not saying anything. He was dying to know if she was still a vampire or if she was human again, but he was afraid to ask. The few hours she had been awake gave no clues as to what she was or wasn't.

Vella let Damon hold her for a long time. It gave her a chance to think about the things she had found out about him recently. She was angry at him, but she knew she loved him. It took these things happening for her to truly understand the life he had led before they had met. She wasn't naive, blind or stupid. She knew he had a past she didn't particularly like, but she knew for sure that she loved him. His past was his past and she knew she needed to think about the present and future. The part that hurt the most was the necklace. As much as she appreciated the gift, knowing it was a way for her to be able to walk in the sun, she was upset that it had been someone else's and that he had killed for it. Also, because he never told her about it's origins.

While she was in his arms, Vella began to feel hungry. She wasn't sure what she was hungry for, however. Maybe it was because she wasn't sure if the spell had worked, or maybe her body was confused. She turned and looked into Damon's face, smiling.

"What's that look for?" Damon asked curiously, smiling back.

"I'm hungry."

Damon open his eyes wide in surprise.

"We have to talk first," Vella said.

Damon's eyes softened a bit as he looked at her lovingly.

"I have to be truthful, Damon. No matter how much it may hurt."

Damon winced, but nodded as she spoke.

"I'm angry about the necklace. But not really because of how you got it, but that you lied to me. I don't like being lied to."

Damon nodded trying not to show how ashamed he was.

"I love you, Damon, for who you are. You don't need to lie to me. I can forgive you now, but I can't promise to look the other way if you lie to me again."

Damon looked at her apologetically. He took her hand and squeezed it firmly. "I'm sorry."

"I know you are," she said, her face softening. "But there is more."

"Did I do something else?"

Vella sighed. "Not exactly. Do you remember a vampire named Marshall?"

Damon looked at her strangely while trying to think. It took a few moments before a look of recognition washed over his face. "Yes. Why?"

"He was helping John and the witches."

"What do you know, Vella?"

"Just what he told me. That you killed his mate and he wants revenge."

"I knew there had to be someone else involved in this."

"So what happened?" she asked.

Damon sighed, looking resigned. "She pissed me off so I killed her."

"Just like that?"

"Yup."

Vella looked at him sternly. "How did she piss you off?"

"It was a really long time ago."

"Damon!"

He sighed again, looking frustrated. "I'm very ashamed of the things I've done in my past, Vella."

"I know," she said gently. "But since I was thrown into the middle of this, I would at least like to know what happened."

"You're right. You do have a right to know," he said in agreement. "It's not a terribly long story." His eyes seemed to look far away for a moment, while he was remembering something he would rather forget.

"We were all friends, the three of us. But at that time I had a...girlfriend of sorts." Vella's eyebrows raised for a moment. "The four of us would hang out and do vampire...things. Hunt, kill and just be a nuisance. One day we were drinking and Marshall's mate picked a fight with my girlfriend. It was stupid but I got pissed and in the end I ended up killing her."

Vella looked at him confused. "What about Marshall? Why did he let you get away with it then?"

Damon laughed mockingly. "Because he's a wimp."

"How long ago did this happen?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure. One hundred years at least."

"He's harbored this animosity for you for over a hundred years?"

"I guess so."

Vella shook her head, frowning. "Damon. This vampire kidnapped my best friend's baby. He helped John ambush me so he could take his revenge on me, all because he wanted revenge on you. Can you see why I'm bothered by this?"

"I'm sorry, Vella. I'm going to make this right."

Vella sighed and stroked Damon's cheek gently. "I know you will. This isn't your fault, Damon. John just happened to find a vampire who hated you." She grinned at him. "I'm sure there's no shortage of them."

"Ha, ha," Damon said mockingly.

Vella laughed at him, then pulled him close, kissing his lips softly. She smiled up at him, looking mischievous. "We only have one problem then."

"What's that?" he asked worried.

"I'm hungry. Remember?"

"Oh," he said uncomfortably.

Vella laughed teasingly. "I know you're still wondering if the spell worked or not."

"Of course I am."

"You mean you can't tell?"

"Stop teasing me, Vella."

Vella laughed, giving him a quick soft kiss on his lips. "This is more fun."

Damon looked at her seriously, trying not to laugh, but he couldn't help but grin at her playfulness.

"How about you answer a question first?"

He narrowed his eyes, pursing his lips.

"Would it matter to you if I was human again? Even if it meant I wouldn't want to be a vampire again?"

"Of course not," he replied with no hesitation.

Vella smiled at him happily. She couldn't have asked for a better reply. She wrapped her arms around him, laying her head on his chest. She stayed there for a few moments before she let go of him, smiling.

"Okay, let's find me something to eat."

"A little clue would be nice," Damon said sarcastically.

Vella sighed and rolled her eyes jokingly, which earned her a dirty look. She laughed, getting up from the bed and stretched exaggeratedly. She walked over to the window and pulled the curtains back just a couple of inches, sticking her other hand in the sunlight that was shining through the opening in the curtains. Her hand began to burn for a moment, before Vella jerked her hand back quickly.

Damon smiled brightly, got up from the bed and took Vella in his arms. He took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply for a few moments, before looking into her eyes lovingly.

"Damon, before you get carried away..."

"What?" he said, dropping his hands from her face.

Vella took his hands into hers. "I'm not sure if this is permanent. The spell might not work right away."

Damon looked at her crestfallen.

"I'm sorry, Damon. I wasn't going to tell you."

"Whatever happens, I'm fine with it, Vella."

"I know," she said smiling. "For now, the immediate problem is the sun."

Damon looked at her pleadingly. "Would you wear the necklace until I can replace it?"

Vella shook her head. "No, I can't do that."

"Then what are we going to do about that?"

"I'm sure you can find me a Lapis Lazuli necklace or ring somewhere, Damon. It's not like it's a rare stone."

Damon looked at her strangely. "Of course, but what about the spell?"

Vella gave him an incredulous look and began to laugh. "Uh, I'm a witch, remember?"

Damon laughed, his face turning red, making Vella laugh even harder. He felt silly but he was happy to see Vella in a good mood and happy again.

"Let's go downstairs, Vella. Sun or no sun. I think everyone and their brother is waiting to see if you're okay."

Vella smiled, taking Damon's hand, allowing him to drag her downstairs. When they walked into the livingroom, there were smiles all around. Everyone who was close to her was there. Of course, Stefan and Elena were there. So was Bonnie, Jeremy, Alaric, Jenna, Matt, Caroline, Tyler and Vella's best friend Mara, her husband David and their baby Anthony.

Everyone wanted to hug Vella, but she only had eyes for one person, Anthony. With his parent's permission, she scooped him into her arms, smiling from ear to ear. He smiled his chubby cheeked smile, cooing and babbling while Vella bounced him around lightly.

The room became full of chatter, everyone talking to someone near them. Vella was surprised when Elena brought out some snacks for everyone. She knew everyone would be waiting to see if she would eat or not. At first, she was going to tell them the truth, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized John would expect the spell to have worked. She pulled Damon aside, quietly explaining her plan. She had to lie to her friends, but only for now. She needed John to think she was human again to find out what he was planning.

"Are you sure you can handle this?" Damon asked.

"Are you saying I can't act?"

Damon laughed and pulled her close, holding her and Anthony. "That's not what I'm saying at all. Are you going to be able to handle waiting to eat? You're weak and it's been way too long since you last fed."

Vella smiled at him lovingly. "I'll be fine. But this has to be between you and me, and possibly Stefan."

"What about Elena?"

"No, she can't know. John is her uncle."

"I don't think she would tell him."

Vella sighed impatiently. "Maybe not purposely, but who are a little blind when it comes to her."

Damon rolled his eyes, but decided not to say anything else.

Vella shook her head and pulled away from him, to rejoin everyone in the room. She handed Anthony back to Mara and then grabbed some chips to eat. She tried to ignore the comments, but her sensitive hearing could pick them all up. It didn't really matter, it just proved her plan was working. She would have eaten the chips anyways to help her curb the real cravings for blood. Especially when most of the people in the room were human.

After a few hours, everyone left to go home except for Mara, David and Anthony. Vella had invited them to stay the night since it was a long trip home. She knew they weren't looking forward to the questions from the police, but Damon had come up with a convincing story about how they found Anthony. She also knew the cops wouldn't have a problem believing it when herself and Damon were questioned, it was just the rest of the world that might find it odd. But Vella would personally see each and every person who had a problem with it if need be. If she could she would compel the whole damn planet.

Once Mara, David and Anthony were settled in bed, Damon took Vella out to hunt. She didn't want to risk a chance of being caught drinking blood in the house, so they didn't have much of a a choice. Damon wasn't just there to help her hunt, he was pretty certain that Marshall would be skulking around somewhere and he wasn't going to let her out of his sight. She was just thankful he was there, no matter the reason. Especially after she got carried away while feeding a couple of times and almost killed her prey.

On the way home, Vella had a sudden thought.

"What if Marshall sees me feeding, Damon?"

"I wouldn't worry too much about that."

"Why not?"

Damon put a finger up to her lips. "Just trust me."

Vella smiled against his finger, then pushed it aside.

Damon smiled and pulled her into a tight embrace, kissing her deeply. Her lips and body movements were so inviting, he had to have her now. He gently laid her on the ground underneath the trees, with only some overhead trees as shelter.

It was much later when Damon and Vella got up from the soft grassy ground and pulled their pants back on, smiling brightly. They held each other's hands as they walked slowly back to the boarding house, neither in a hurry to get home. It was when they were nearly home, they were ambushed.

Marshall jumped down from a tree, landing between Damon and Vella, causing them to scatter in two separate directions. He stared in Damon's direction, clenching his hands into tightly balled fists.

Vella was about to dash at him from behind, but suddenly three vampires appeared from the trees, two were behind Damon and one was behind her. She wasn't sure if she should feign being human, in case they got away and reported back to John. But It didn't matter now that they were outnumbered. She knew she had to do what she has to do.

Vella waited until she could feel the vampire behind her move, then she moved to the side with her leg out. He tripped sending him flying towards the others, slamming into Marshall, knocking him down. They were both up almost instantaneously and ready to run at Vella, but Damon dashed forward, grabbing Marshall and began pummeling him.  
Vella ran at the other two vampires, who scattered out of the way. The one who had hit Marshall came after her, but he fell to the ground clutching his head, howling in pain. Vella grinned evilly as she found a tree branch, ran at the vampire who was down and stabbed him through the heart. He fell to the ground dead instantly.

Vella looked at the other two vampires, who stared back at her reluctantly. Neither of them seemed to understand what had happened to their friend. They turned for a second to watch Marshall and Damon fight, just long enough for Vella to put one of the two vampires on his knees clutching his head. She ripped a branch off a nearby tree and ran at the downed vampire, but the other vampire had regained his composure. He stuck his arm out, catching her in the chest that sent her to the ground. He jumped on top of her, fighting for the piece of wood. Vella was still trying to keep the other vampire down with her magic while fighting the one on top of her.

Damon got distracted when he heard Vella howl in pain. He only stopped fighting for a moment, but it was long enough for Marshall to get the upper hand. He grabbed a long stick nearby and stabbed it through Damon's shoulder. He yelled in pain, pulling his legs up and kicked Marshall off of him. Marshall went flying backwards, slamming into a tree and slumping to the ground for a moment, before getting back up and going after Damon again.

Hearing Damon's cry of pain, Vella began to feel angry. Not just angry, but protective. Drawing on that feeling of rage and protectiveness, gave her the strength to put both of the vampires on their knees, howling with pain, clutching their heads. She walked up to both of them, snarling and hissing in anger. With pure brute strength, she tore one of the vampire's heads off before he even realized what was happening. She threw the head down on the ground, watching the body slump to the ground, twitching for a few moments, then going still. Turning to the other vampire, she glared at him with a look of malice, ripped a tree branch off the tree they were beside and stabbed him through the heart. She stood watching as he flopped to the ground dead.

Marshall realized seconds later, that his cohorts were dead. The fear he felt could be seen on his face as he pushed Damon away and turned on his heels to run. But Vella wasn't going to let that happen. She dropped him to his knees with magic before he could run away. She was standing beside him in an instant, grinning evilly.

"What else has John got planned for me?"

Marshall looked at her as she stopped her spell. "I don't know."

"I don't believe you."

"It's the truth!" he shrieked.

"That's too bad."

With a single thought, Marshall became engulfed in flames. Vella stood watching with a morbid look of satisfaction on her face as Marshall's body burned. Once his body was nothing more than ash, is when she felt the power within her flee. Almost instantly, she became dizzy and fell to the ground.

Damon had been standing well back watching everything. He ran to Vella once she was on the ground and lifted her into his arms.

"Vella?" he called to her while trying to shake her.

Vella mumbled slightly, but none of it was coherent.

Damon looked upon her face regretfully. He knew she shouldn't have expended so much of her energy so soon after her ordeal with the witches. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but her skin seemed to be paler than usual. Fighting with his rage and panic, he carried her gently all the way back to the boarding house.

Damon ran in the house and straight up to their bedroom, laying Vella on the bed gently. As he was laying her down, he noticed she had blood running from her nose and her ears. Panic shot through him fiercely almost paralyzing him. He was frightened what this might mean. Was she human again? Is she dying because she over used her magic? He had no idea, but he knew who to call. It was so late at night though and he hated to disturb Bonnie. But the minutes he spent sitting beside Vella's lifeless body, convinced him to call her anyway. He didn't care about waking her up, that wasn't his problem. All he cared about was Vella's well being.

Bonnie let herself in when she arrived and went straight to Damon and Vella's bedroom. Damon was sitting on the bed beside Vella, very rigidly, holding his wife's hand. Bonnie tried to pretend she didn't see the tears in Damon's eyes, but they were very noticeable. She walked around to the other side of the bed and sat down, taking Vella's other hand. She closed her eye's tightly and began a simple spell. It didn't take long to complete, but staying quiet and still so she could think about how she was going to tell Damon the news was the difficult part.

Bonnie opened her eyes and let go of Vella's hand. She looked at Damon, whose eyes had a sorrowful look. She couldn't tell him, she just couldn't do it. She got up from the bed quickly, gazed at Damon once before running out of the room.

Damon watched Bonnie run out of the room confused. He wanted to believe everything would be okay, but he knew by her reaction it couldn't possibly be. He got up suddenly and ran downstairs, catching Bonnie's wrist as she turned the doorknob of the front door.

"Let go of me, Damon," Bonnie cried.

"Not until you tell me what's going on."

Bonnie glanced at his sad eyes for a moment, before looking away. "I can't."

"You can't what?"

She tried pulling her wrist free from his grip, but to no avail. "Let go of me!"

Damon pulled her close to him and forced her to look at him, when his brother came running down the stairs."

"What's going on, Damon?" Stefan asked shortly.

"Stay out of this."

Bonnie looked at Stefan with a blank stare.

"Bonnie, are you okay?"

She shook her head no, then looked down sadly. "I'm sorry, Damon."

"Please, just tell me," Damon begged.

Bonnie nodded in agreement, which cause Damon to let go of her wrist. She walked into the livingroom and sat on the couch, waiting for Damon to follow. He stopped beside her, too frustrated and upset to sit down.

Stefan followed them, stopping just inside the doorway. "What's going on?"

Bonnie once again glanced at him, then set her eyes on Damon's face. She sighed loudly, one lone tear escaping from her eye. She wiped at it with her sleeve, then laid her hands in her lap. "If she had been human, she would be dead right now."

"What do you mean, Bonnie?"

"She expended way too much of her own energy, too much of her life force. If she was human it would have killed her."

"But she's not human. Where does that leave her?"

Bonnie shook her head slightly, trying not to meet his gaze. "I don't know, Damon. I wish I could tell you."

"You mean you don't know?" he asked with panic in his voice.

"I have a theory, but that's it."

Damon looked down, blinking back tears. He didn't want theories, he wanted cold, hard facts. He was really regretting asking Bonnie for help.

"Damon?"

"What?"

"Do you want to hear it, or not?"

Stefan walked up behind his brother and laid a supportive hand on his shoulder. Looking defeated, he nodded his head, hoping to hear some good news.

"I have more than one theory, actually. The one I think is most likely, is that she's weakened herself so much, the spell that was cast upon her will end up working."

"What?"

"I'm hoping that's not true, but its very possible. She's so fragile and pale right now, it's frightening."

Damon looked at her angrily. He knew how frightening it was, he didn't need to hear it from her. All he wanted were answers.

"Another theory is, she has weakened herself so much, that she may never cast another spell. I don't think it's as likely, but it's a much better outcome."

"Is that it?"

Bonnie bit her lip, looking at Damon sadly. "It could be a combination of those two things or..."

"Or?"

"Or she might be stuck in the state she's in right now...indefinitely. Unconscious, weak and not here. Like a coma."

In frustration, Damon swatted a glass that was lying on the nearby table, sending it crashing against the wall across the room. Bonnie jumped as it crashed.

"Is there any chance none of this is true?"

"Damon."

"No, Bonnie. I need an answer."

She looked at him apologetically. "I don't think so. She tried to do way too much way too soon. But only time will tell."

Damon felt like a lead weight had been dropped in his stomach. He wanted to slump to the ground and never get back up. He thanked Bonnie and walked her out of the house. She promised to visit some time the next day to check in on Vella.

Damon watched her car pull away from the house, then slid to the floor at the front door. Stefan watched his brother's grief-stricken face with pain.

It took some coaxing, but Stefan managed to get him to sit on the couch and explain what had happened. After that, Damon sat on the couch like a zombie, the only movements he made was blinking.

Stefan convinced him then to go upstairs and stay with Vella. It didn't really take much convincing. He walked up to the bedroom, laid on the bed beside Vella and held her, just hoping everything would be okay and that this was really just a bad dream.

Stefan watched in the doorway for a few minutes, before going to his room. He knew he wouldn't sleep much that night, watching over his brother and worrying about Vella. He knew he would be just as devastated as his brother, if something happened to her. He desperately prayed that it wouldn't.

Once his brother was away from his door, Damon was able to show his real emotion. He clasped his hands to his face and began to sob heavily. He sobbed for a long while and at some point he dozed off into a restless sleep.

**A/N: Yup, I did it again. I left it open ended and have no idea what's going to happen with Vella. I guess we will both see lol.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	65. Chapter 65

Chapter 65 ~ An Unwanted Second Chance

_Damon was walking through the darkness, looking, searching. He had no idea where he was but he knew he was alone and it was black, completely dark and devoid of any source of illumination. He had no idea whether there was a beginning or an end, because everywhere he looked, he could only see the darkness, darker than anything, even night. Maybe even death._

Damon awoke with a start. He felt as if he was shaking inside from his nightmare, even though he wasn't completely sure why. It took him a few moments before he could shake his fear of being alone. He quickly turned to his side to see the sleeping figure beside him, letting out a sigh of relief. He cuddled up beside the sleeping figure of his wife and held her tightly as a wave of fear, sadness and panic washed over him. Silent tears began to fall from his eyes, even as he tried to hold them back.

He laid there for a while, just holding Vella, hoping she would wake up and everything would be wonderful again. He wasn't quite sure when it had happened, but at some point he realized he couldn't go on without her in his life. It was this thinking that made him realize why his dream had been so frightening. He was afraid of losing her and being alone. Not just alone, he had spent many years alone. But being alone without the love of this woman. The one woman who was his strength and his weakness. Without her, his life would have no purpose any longer. She gave it the meaning and purpose it once lacked, and now he was a better person because of it. The only problem was what he would do if she didn't survive her ordeal. He couldn't even bare to think about it, not even for a second. If he did, he felt a painful emptiness in his stomach and a painful ache in his chest, where his once beating heart lay. It was the most painful thing he had ever felt.

Damon got out of bed, grabbed some clean clothes and headed into the bathroom to have a shower. He had hoped that the water would help him relax as it so often did, but that didn't happen this time. It was going to take more than just water to relax his mind.

After he had dried off and got redressed, Damon went to his bedroom to check on Vella. She hadn't seemed to move from the position he had left her in, so he figured it was safe to go downstairs. Upon walking into the kitchen, he found Mara and David sitting at the table feeding baby Anthony. Their eyes fell upon his before he could look away. He walked over to the coffee and began to pour himself a cup, when Mara came up behind him and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Your brother told me what happened. Is she okay?"

Damon slumped his head and sighed, trying to control himself. He didn't want to take out his anger and frustration on Mara, but he also didn't want to show how upset he was. It was stupid, but he hated feeling vulnerable.

"I don't know. She's still asleep."

"We need to get home to deal with the police, but I can stay if you think it will help."

He turned around and looked at her sincerly. "You being here might help, but I know if Vella could have a say, she would want you to go and deal with the police."

Mara nodded her head in agreement, smiling supportively. "You're right."

Damon picked up his cup of coffee and took a sip as he watched Mara sit back down at the table. Anthony was staring in his direction, smiling brightly. Not being able to resist the charm of the baby, he walked over to him and squatted beside him.

Anthony cooed and babbled, drool dribbling down his face. He reached out his chubby little hands towards Damon.

He looked at Mara and David. "May I pick him up?" Anthony's parents smiled and shook their heads yes.

Damon picked up Anthony and held him in his arms, gazing into his bright innocent eyes. Without realizing it, tears began to well up in the corners of Damon's eyes. They were happy tears as well as sad tears. This little baby seemed to be able to make Damon happy, even when he felt at his worst. But he was also sad because he knew Vella felt exactly the same way about him and she wasn't even going to be able to see him before he had to go home.

"When are you leaving?"

"We were just about to get our stuff ready to go," replied David.

"Can I take him to see Vella before you go?"

"Of course," he answered, smiling.

Damon smiled and carried the baby up to his bedroom. He sat on the bed beside Vella and placed Anthony on the bed. He climbed on her side and began babbling animatedly, as if trying to get her to answer him. She didn't even move the whole time, which made Damon very depressed. He gave up after half an hour and took the baby downstairs to his parents, but not before he held him closely and whispered to him. "You be a good boy for your parents. I'm going to miss you and so is Vella. We will see you soon." He kissed him on the forehead gently, handing him over to his parents.

David took Anthony out to the car, while Mara stayed behind. She walked up to Damon and without hesitation, wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

Damon almost pulled back out of habit, but her warmth and support meant a lot to him. He hugged her back awkwardly, then pulled away almost looking embarrassed.

"She'll be okay, Damon. She's the toughest person I know." Damon nodded slightly. "Please call me as soon as you know something."

"I will."

"Thank you. She's closer to me than a sister. I'm so glad she found someone like you." Damon snorted but Mara gave him a strange look. "You are good for her. If I didn't think so I would have told you. She means the world to me. Besides yourself, I'm the only one in her life that loves her that way." She paused, looking at Damon pensively. "She feels the very same way about you. I can see it in her eyes and the way she looks at you." A single tear began to roll down her face, which she wiped off quickly. "When she wakes up, tell her I love her and will talk with her when she's feeling better."

Damon nodded, watching Mara leave the house in a hurry. Now that he was all alone, he wasn't sure what to do with himself. He didn't think he could handle waiting by his wife's bedside, watching, feeling like he was going to die. But what else could he do? Nothing. He knew he couldn't leave her side for very long. So he went back to the bedroom and sat vigil beside the bed.

He sat still listening to the rhythmic sound of Vella's breathing, listening for any variation in her breaths in hopes he would be able to tell when she was about to awaken, but her breathing stayed even. It was a while later when Stefan came up to see how she was doing, followed by Bonnie. Damon wasn't really in the mood for company or Bonnie's assessment, which was the same as the night before, but he tolerated them. He knew they cared about his wife and it would matter to her that they had visited.

It was several hours later, when Vella began to twitch and mumble slightly. Damon was excited, even though he tried not to be. He knew it might be a sign, but then again it might not. But he couldn't help feeling optimistic. He wanted to scream out in joy when he saw her eyes begin fluttering, but then he thought better of it. He wanted to spend those first few precious moments alone with her.

Damon slipped into the bed beside Vella and helped prop her up when she began to try and get herself up. She looked into his eyes with curiosity, mingled with fear and trepidation. She had remembered her last moments and was afraid. But her fears began to melt as Damon held her in his supportive and warm embrace.

In the next few minutes, Damon whispered, "I love you," several times. It made Vella feel safe and secure, even though she knew she should be feeling fear. She was in denial and she wanted to stay there. She wanted to believe everything would be just fine if she stayed in Damon's loving, strong arms. But the reality was much different. Everything would not be okay, not again.

It was almost immediate, her feeling of thirst. But it wasn't the same kind of thirst she was accustomed too, she needed water. She no longer craved blood as food, she was no longer a vampire. She was afraid to tell Damon. She was afraid of how he would feel. Even though he had promised it wouldn't matter, she knew him better than he knew himself. They had fallen in love while she was human, so she really hoped it would work out. But she didn't want to think about it. She just wanted to stay in his arms and pretend the world had stopped in this moment forever.

It wasn't long before her thirst began to become unbearable. When she finally summoned enough courage to say something to Damon, she was interrupted by a commotion downstairs. Damon excused himself, reluctantly, to see what was wrong, giving Vella the opportunity to get up.

Vella walked to the bathroom, on shaky legs, grabbed the cup she used for rinsing her teeth and collected some water from the tap. She drank the water down quickly and got some more. She felt refreshed and quenched after the second cup, so she decided to find out what was going on downstairs. She walked down the hall and stopped at the top of the stairs to listen, but she soon realized she couldn't hear well enough from where she was. She sighed, cursing her weak human hearing and walked down the stairs on much sturdier legs.

"I told you to get the hell out of here, Tyler!" warned Damon. "She's not well enough to see anyone right now."

"I'm not leaving until I talk to her," Tyler replied with a glare.

Vella walked into the hallway, stopping beside Damon. "What do you want, Tyler?"

Damon turned and looked at her with concern. "You shouldn't be out of bed."

"I'm fine, Damon," she replied with conviction. "Now what's this about?"

"I need to talk to you in private," Tyler said.

"I'm tired, Tyler. Can't this wait?"

"No."

Vella sighed, while Damon glared at Tyler. "You can say whatever it is you have to say."

"No. My father asked that I only speak to you."

"Tell him I will talk to him tomorrow," she said firmly.

Tyler looked at her and opened his mouth, then shut it. "Fine."

"Thank you. I will go and see him tomorrow then."

Tyler nodded, gave a dirty look to Damon, then turned and left the house.

Damon looked at Vella with concern. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine...but we need to talk."

He nodded, put his arm around her and began to lead her towards the livingroom, but she stopped before walking through the doorway.

"No. In private."

He looked at her with surprise, then lead her upstairs. When they got to the bedroom, Vella sat on the bed, waiting for Damon to sit beside her. He hesitated for a moment, unsure whether he wanted to hear what she was going to say, but he sat down and took her hands into his and waited.

Vella looked down at her hands and the hands holding hers. She was afraid to speak, not sure how to tell him this important revelation. She knew it didn't matter to him, yet she still felt hesitant. She looked into his eyes, on the verge of tears, while he returned her look with fear and sorrow evident.

She knew she had to just say it, the quicker the better, then they could move past it. But it was like her mouth just couldn't form the words.

Damon couldn't take the suspense anymore, he had to say something. "What is it, love?"

The tears that were on the verge of spilling, poured from her eyes without abandon, as much as she tried to hold them back. She wiped them away gently, then looked at Damon again. Without so much as a hesitation this time, she just blurted it out. "I'm human again."

Damon looked shocked, then sad, then fearful. He squeezed Vella's hands, then pulled her into a tight embrace. He held her close for a long while, while the tears from each of their eyes fell unheeded, until they slowed and then finally stopped.

Damon released his arms from around her, but kept her hands in his. Looking into her eyes, he spoke. "This doesn't change anything for me."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. I love you no matter what you are."

Vella eyed him curiously. She wanted to believe him, but something told her he wasn't being truthful with himself, let alone her.

"This is entirely my fault," she said sadly. "I shouldn't have pushed John. And I shouldn't have used my magic like I did last night."

Damon took her face in his hands and looked deep into her eyes. "None of this is your fault. John would have done this no matter what. He has some vendetta against your family and I don't think ignoring him would have done any better." He stopped and kissed her on the forehead. "Do you think you're still a witch?"

She nodded unsure, then picked up some coins that were laying on the nightstand and placed them on the bed. She raised her hand above them and concentrated, trying to make them lift up. It took a quite a bit of concentrating, but she managed to make them float a few inches before letting them fall back to the bed. She looked at Damon with relief, but obvious strain in her facial features. He returned her look with concern, but smiled slightly, happy that she hadn't lost herself completely.

"I guess that answers my question," he said teasing.

"Yup."

Damon looked at her awkwardly. "So, what are we going to do now?"

Vella smiled teasingly. "You don't have to do anything. But I need to get something to eat."

"So do I."

She laughed slightly, but the thought of drinking blood now turned her stomach. She would never admit it to him though.

Damon took her hand and walked her into the kitchen, where she poured herself a bowl of cherrios and ate it down while Damon went to find something to eat for himself.

Vella felt better after she ate, so she went into the livingroom to watch TV while she waited for Damon. Stefan and Elena showed up a short time later, so she told them the news before they heard it from Damon. She didn't think he could have the same tactful approach she did. She managed to keep a brave face whenever someone was around, but she wasn't feeling that way inside. She felt lost and out of sorts. She didn't belong in this world anymore. She had been a vampire too long to feel normal. John had been right and it was killing her inside. The twenty five years she spent human were nothing now that she had been a vampire. She missed the sensitive hearing, the speed, the strength, but most of all, she missed the intense feelings. They had been problematic at times, but she realized that it was much better than how she was feeling right now...numb.

She did her best throughout the rest of the day and evening, pretending for everyone that everything was normal and okay. At least she thought she did. When she turned in to bed, Damon decided to confront her.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I don't know what you mean," she replied sincerly.

"You don't think I noticed how you were behaving?"

"How's that?" she asked bitterly.

"You're trying to make everyone else think you're fine when you're not."

"So now you're trying to tell me how I'm feeling?"

Damon narrowed his eyes at her. "Why do you have to do this? You're always acting brave just so no one else will worry. I'm a big boy."

She rolled her eyes and pursed her lips. "And why do you always blame yourself for what's happened to me? When you stop so will I."

He had to admit she was right, but he was also right. He didn't want to fight with her, but he felt even more protective over her than he had in a long time.

He smiled at her apologetically, swept her into his arms and held her closely. "I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered.

Damon helped her into bed, then climibed in beside her, wrapping his arm around her waist. It wasn't long before he heard the rhythmic sounds of her breathing that told him she was sound asleep. Once he was satisfied he was right, he relaxed and fell asleep quickly.

The next morning, Vella woke up just as the sun rose over the horizon. Damon was still asleep so she tried not to stir too much. She wasn't really used to this clumsier body of hers, which made it more difficult to be so nimble. While she tried to climb out of bed without disturbing him, she fell out of bed. It hurt more than she remembered, but she couldn't help but laugh at herself.

The sudden thud woke Damon up, and he jumped out of bed and was beside her in an instant. He looked at her strangely while she laughed out of control.

"What?" he asked curiously.

Vella took his outstretched hand and let him pull her up. "I fell out of the bed."

"And this is funny?"

"No, not really. But it was at the time," she said still smiling.

Damon couldn't help but smile back at her.

"I'm going to have breakfast then go see Richard," she stated. "Are you coming with me?"

"To see the mayor?" he thought for a moment. "Do you want me to?"

Vella narrowed her eyes very slightly. "You don't want me to go, do you?"

"I think it's a bad idea, in light of everything that's happened in the past few days."

She put her hands on her hip, looking at him frustrated. "Are you telling me I can't go?"

Damon stepped closer to Vella, gazing into her eyes. Suddenly she felt her mind slipping away. It took all of her willpower to pull herself away.

"How dare you try to do that to me!" she shrieked.

"Do what?" he asked innocently.

She gave him the dirtiest look and went to her dresser. She dragged her jewelry box from under some unfolded clothes, and began fumbling through it. She found what she was looking for, her old vervain necklace. She untangled it from another necklace, then put her jewelry box back where it had been. Damon gave her a knowing look as she tried to latch the necklace. He would have helped her with it if he could have.

"I'm sorry," he said solemnly. "I didn't realize what I was doing."

Vella turned around and sighed. "I know."

"You know I wouldn't..."

"I know!" she said louder. "It's okay."

Damon took her in his arms, pulling her tight against his chest. "This is going to take some getting used to."

"You mean used to being breakable?"

He chuckled slightly, even though it wasn't really funny. He felt very uncomfortable right now but he didn't want to admit it. He wouldn't lie to himself, however. He preferred Vella as a vampire, but he loved her too much to worry about it.

"If we can get back on topic," she said irritated. "Are you coming with me to see the mayor, or not?"

Damon released his grip on her, but took her hands instead. He looked at her with concern, hoping to persuade her not to go, but she wouldn't budge.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

Vella looked at him confused for a moment, thinking. "Honestly, I think it would be better if I went alone."

He looked like he was going to object, but he didn't. He knew better than to push her. So he would do the next best thing, follow her, staying behind far enough she would never know he was there.

Vella ate her breakfast hurriedly, then drove straight over to the Lockwood mansion. A wave of nerves hit her as she stood at the front door waiting for someone to answer. She hadn't realized she would feel so weak and vulnerable without her vampire powers. It was then that the fear hit her, a paralyzing fear. She took a few deep breaths in and out, trying to calm herself. It helped, but only slightly.

It was a minute before the door opened, Tyler standing behind it.

"Sorry it took so long, I was ordered to answer the door instead of the staff," he said apologetically.

She looked at him curiously, but didn't ask him to elaborate, she figured she would find out soon enough.

Tyler led her down a long hallway and into a large room with a door at the far end.  
Pointing to the door, he said, "He's in there."

Vella thanked him and walked to the door. A feeling of uneasiness swept over her again, making her feel sick. She wished she could shake it, but she couldn't. She couldn't remember being so afraid when she was human before, even when she had to face death.

She ignored the panic and uneasiness she felt and opened the door. She walked through it, noticing some obvious distress on the mayor's face. She closed the door behind her, walking closer to his desk, where he was standing behind.

"I'm sorry I had to do this," Richard said shakily.

Vella looked at him confused. "What's going on?"

Richard looked past her with a sorrowful look. Instinctually, Vella turned around and nearly jumped when she saw who was standing behind her, John Gilbert.

"Hello, Vella," John said, looking haughty.

"What do you want, John?" she asked with a sneer.

John looked past her, giving the mayor a knowing look. "You can leave now."

"I'm sorry," Richard apologized again as he quickly left the room.

Vella was terrified being alone with John. She tried very hard not to show it on her face, but she didn't think he was buying it. All she could do was try and play tough and hope he didn't see right through her.

"So, the mayor is in your pocket now?"

"No, but I have things to use against him."

"You really are sick."

John laughed deviously. "This coming from a vampire. Oh wait, you're not anymore, are you?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Your spell didn't work."

"Oh, really?" he asked, narrowing his eyes slightly. "I have it on good authority that you are human again."

"On who's authority?"

"You're the crazy one if you think I would tell you that."  
"If all you're going to do is trade banter with me, then I'm going home. I have things to do." She turned to leave, when John grabbed a hold of her shoulder and spun her around.

"Get your damn hands off me!"

John smiled deviously, while Vella quickly walked backwards away from him, trying to get away, until she walked up against the wall. He grabbed a hold of her wrists, staring into her eyes.

"What are you going to do about it?"

Vella struggled to break his hold on her, but it was a futile attempt. She wasn't strong enough to get her hands free. She didn't give up though, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. Even when he brought his face up beside hers, breathing excitedly in her ear.

Having his face so close to her face made her want to wretch. She struggled with him, grunting from the exertion, but it accomplished nothing.

"Let go of me, John!"

John grinned, bringing his lips only an inch away from hers and pinning her hands up against the wall. Tyler burst in the door then, looking angry.

"This isn't right! I'm not going to let you do this!"

John laughed and let go of Vella, turning his attention to Tyler. "You don't want to mess with me, boy"

Tyler was angry and had his fist raised about to punch John, when Vella stood between them.

"Tyler, calm down," she said, resting her hand on his shoulder. "Please."

His quick breathing slowed as he rested his raised arm down beside him once again.

"Please, go right now, Tyler. I can handle him."

Tyler nodded his head, gave John an evil glare and ran out the door, slamming it behind him. Vella turned back around and glared at John.

"That wasn't very smart of you, Vella."

"This is between you and me, John. No one else needs to get in the middle of this."

"What about your husband? Or his brother for that matter?"

Vella sighed and rolled her eyes. "You put them in the middle of this already."

"You're right, I did," he said sneering. "But they won't be in the middle for long."

"Why so cryptic, John? Just say what you have to say so I can go home."

He walked closer to her, gazing into her eyes. Vella wanted to look away, but she held fast.

"I knew this was the only way I could get to see you, without a bodyguard." He grinned. "I just wanted you to know this isn't the end for you. I have so much more planned for you...and Damon and Stefan."

"I would advise you to quit while you're ahead, John," she said with disdain. "Otherwise this will end badly for you."

He laughed maniacally. "I find your steadfast resolve very amusing, in light of everything."

Anger began to bubble up in Vella, making her see red. She wasn't sure how she did it, but it just happened. One moment John was standing in front of her, acting tough and sneering, and the next, he was on the floor on his hands and knees, screaming in agony. It took a moment to realize that she had cast a spell unintentionally. She wasn't even sure what or how, since she had never used magic against a human before.

She watched as John stood up on shaky legs, blood pouring from his nose. He was holding his sleeve up to his face, trying to stem the bleeding. He looked at Vella with pure malice, dropping his arm from his face.

"You're going to end up like your friend, Sasha."

Vella snorted. "Do you think I'm actually afraid of death, John?" She chuckled slightly. "I've been dead before."

He narrowed his eyes. "But what about those you care about?"

She walked up to him, getting in his face. "You can mess with me, John. But if you ever try to hurt someone like my best friend ever again, I will make you regret it."

John laughed, then slapped Vella across the face. She clutched her hand to her face in surprise, glaring at him.

"Don't threaten me, Vella. I hold all the cards."

Vella opened her mouth to say something, but she didn't know what to say. But John decided to turn around and walk out, leaving her standing there, furious and confused.

**A/N: I would have written more but the chapter was getting long. Hope you enjoyed it. Will try to update again soon.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	66. Chapter 66

Chapter 66 ~ A Discovery

Vella watched John leave the room and waited for a minute before leaving herself. When she managed to get outside, she realized she had dropped her keys somewhere, so she had to go back in and retrieve them. After she found her keys, she walked down the hallway again towards the front door, but this time Tyler stopped her.

"Vella?"

She turned around and looked at him. He seemed to wince as he laid eyes on her, making her a little afraid. He walked up to her and gently put his again on the side of her face.

"Does it hurt?"

"Does what hurt?"

"What do you mean, what? Your face, it looks bad."

Vella pushed Tyler's hands off of her face and touched where John had slapped her. It felt warm to the touch and when she pulled her hand away, there was blood.

"John slapped me. I didn't think it was a big deal."

"You have a huge red print on your face, your nose is bleeding and you have a mark on your eye. Hopefully it won't turn into a black eye."

"Please tell me you're joking?"

Tyler nodded his head looking apologetic. "Come with me," he said as he took her hand and lead her to the nearest bathroom.

Vella followed Tyler into the bathroom and let him find a wash cloth for her, but when he tried to clean her face, she drew the line there.

"I am, or was, a nurse. I can handle it from here."

Tyler looked embarrassed, but she smiled at him thankfully.

"I'll clean up then I need to leave."

"Okay. I will leave you alone."

He turned to leave but Vella called his name. "Thank you, Tyler. I really appreciate your help." He nodded, smiling slightly. "Tell your father not to worry. I will do something about John."

He nodded again and left the bathroom, leaving Vella to check out what John had done herself. She gasped as she looked in the mirror. Her eye was slightly swollen with a tinge of very light blue around it already. Her nose had crusted blood on it and was also slightly swollen and so was the hand print on her face. She soaked the cloth in cold water and placed it on her face to try and get the swelling down. After her face had gone slightly numb, she cleaned up the dried blood.

She stayed in the bathroom staring at herself in the mirror for several minutes afterwards. She was baffled by the amount of damage John had done with a single smack. She couldn't understand it at all. It didn't hurt as bad as it looked. But after much debating with herself, she decided to chalk it up to a lucky hit.

Vella left as fast as she could, got into her car and began driving away from the Lockwood mansion. She was stopped at a red light a few blocks away, when suddenly the passenger side door opened and shut quickly. She could see at the corner of her eye that Damon was now sitting in the once empty spot. Her breathing quickened for a moment, before she realized she was doing it. She didn't want him to notice her face just yet. She knew if she told him who had done it, he would want to run out and kill John on the spot. Not that he didn't deserve it, but this wasn't the time.

"How did the meeting with the mayor go?" Damon asked.

"Fine," she said as calmly as possible.

Damon narrowed his eyes and turned to face her. "Your heartbeat gives you away, love. What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it right now."  
Vella tried her best to pay attention to the road, but she began to feel shaky and tears were building in the corners of her eyes. Damon could tell she was upset, so he grabbed the steering wheel, climbed over the seat slightly so he could hit the brakes. The car came to a stop at the side of a quiet road, so he put it into park, turned the car off and took the keys from the ignition.

"We're not moving until you tell me what's got you so upset," he said sternly.

She swallowed hard once and took a deep breath to relax. She gathered up all her courage and turned to face him. The look on his face went from shock to anger in a matter of moments.

"Who did this to you?" he demanded, putting his hand on the side of her face gently.

"Damon, please? Can we talk about this later?"

He shook his head while staring deep into her eyes. "Absolutely not."

Vella sighed and began to explain to him what had happened with John, leaving out many of the details. She knew what would happen if he knew everything. He already looked murderous as it was.

Damon asked Vella to move into the passenger seat so he could drive. He needed something to do to keep himself from going over the edge, but he told her differently. He told her she shouldn't be driving when her eye was so swollen. It was easy to get her to agree that way and she even forgot about chastising him for following her to the Lockwood mansion. Though, he would have paid that price willingly if she wouldn't have been hurt.

After arriving home, Vella ran up to her room, jumped on the bed and climbed under the covers. She refused to talk to anyone, even Damon. She laid in bed for hours just brooding, until she got hungry. Then she went downstairs to look for food, but didn't really talk to anyone.

She was angry and upset, but she wasn't sure what she could do about it. After eating she went upstairs and began rummaging through her mother's old journals. She thought reading through them might help keep her mind off of John and his threats. Of course there were a lot of passages in her mother's journals that mentioned John, so that was near impossible. But she did find some interesting things in them she had only glossed over before.

By evening, she was much calmer. She found Damon and apologized to him, even though he said it hadn't been necessary. She knew otherwise though. She had acted stupidly and selfishly, even if he saw it differently, she knew the truth. Damon was the only one who could deal with her and she had treated him badly. She would have went to him on hands and knees and beg for forgivness if he had asked, but of course he would never do that.

She also knew that he was angry with himself for not protecting her. But she didn't fault him, this was all John Gilbert's fault and she planned on getting even with him. Even if it took her life, she didn't care at this point. As long as she took him with her.

Vella spent the next few days at home reading her mother's journals. She didn't want to go anywhere while she had a black eye, so it was a useful way to spend her time while cooped up. While the reading was very enlightening, she was still missing some journals and her mother's grimoire, which she really wanted to find.

It was five days after her encounter with John, when she decided to go in search of her mother's stuff. Damon refused to let her go alone, so he escorted her to her family's cabin. She searched high and low, but couldn't find a trace of anything. It wasn't until, in a fit of rage and frustration, that she hit the wall in one of the closets, where she found a hollow spot behind the wall. With Damon's help, they took out the false wall, which revealed a few old books hidden there.

After cleaning the books off, Vella realized they were all grimoire's. One was her mother's, one was her grandmother's and the others seemed to be from other witches in her family tree. She was so excited she could barely contain herself. She kissed Damon with a fervor she hadn't since she had been human again. But soon her fear surfaced and she cut the kissing and groping short. She used her excitement over wanting to read the books as an excuse, even though she knew otherwise. She didn't want to be afraid of making love to her husband, but she was. It had almost been a week, but she still couldn't get over the fear. It was silly, but it didn't matter how she rationalized it, she still felt the fear.

She gathered the books up and was heading towards the front door when she noticed something on the floor behind a chair. It was only a scrap piece of paper, but she knew it hadn't come from either her or Damon.

"Damon," she called. "I think someone has been in here recently. Look." She handed him the paper and he looked it over.

"I think you're right."

Vella looked at Damon angrily. "He's been here. That nasty excuse for a human being was here."

Damon laid his hand on her gently to calm her down. He looked at the faded yellow bruise around her eye and felt anger bubbling up inside of him. Without the many years of practice, he would have just acted on his impulses, but he hadn't. At least not yet. He wanted to kill John. No, he wanted him to suffer most painfully, then kill him.

Damon pulled her into an embrace, holding her for a minute, then convinced her it was time to go home. He drove her home and let her get settled in the bedroom reading her mother's grimoire, before excusing himself.

He hadn't planned it, but he ended up at the Grill. After having a few drinks, John Gilbert walked in, seating himself at the bar a few seats down from Damon. He swirled the contents of his glass for a moment, before deciding to sit himself beside John.

"Well, Hello, Damon," John said amused. "I'm surprised I haven't seen you sooner."

"I didn't want you to see me sooner."

John narrowed his eyes at him. "I'm surprised you haven't tried to kill me yet."

Damon looked at John's hand. "You and I both know that wouldn't work out too well."

He laughed slightly. "As much fun as it is to talk to you, I would like to have a drink in peace. Why don't you give my regards to Vella."

It took everything in Damon not to kill him on the spot. He stared at John, unflinching though, giving him the sternest look. "Stay away from her, John. I won't tell you again."

"You're not in a position to give ultimatums, Damon."

"It isn't John. It's a warning."

"I'm not afraid."

"You should be, John."

"I've dealt with your kind before."

Damon snorted. "You've never met one like me."

"They're all like you, Damon. Pompous, Self-centered, Psychotic, Ego maniacs."

"And you think you know it all. That will be your downfall."

John turned to the bartender and ordered a drink, while Damon finished his quickly and left the Grill. He knew if he stayed he would most likely do something he would regret. He realized he had left Vella alone for too long and he needed to check on her. More for his own need than for hers. He knew she was relatively safe at the boarding house.

When he arrived home, Vella was in the kitchen cooking. He felt relieved when he was able to see she was fine. He was happy to see she was in a good mood, which she hadn't been in a long while.

"Mmmm, something smells yummy," Damon said, reaching for a pot on the stove.

Vella whacked his hand with the wooden spoon in her hand. "Get out of that mister!"

He looked at her with mock irritation, then when she turned her back on him, he sneaked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face into her neck. "You smell yummier anyway."

She sighed and tried to break out of his grip, but he wouldn't let go of her. Instead, she twisted herself around to face him, looking irritated. "That wasn't very funny."

Damon grinned at her stupidly, trying to make her laugh. It took a few moments, but she did laugh. She was in a good enough mood to be able to find the humor in him.

"So what were you up to?"

"Not much."

She raised her eyebrow at him. "Really?"

"Just went for a walk. I knew you would be busy reading."

"That's why you smell like scotch?"

He narrowed his eyes, smirking. "You can smell that?"

"I may not be a vampire anymore but I do own a nose."

He smiled at her lovingly, kissing her lips gently. It felt like it had been so long since he had felt comfortable with her. He moved his lips by her ear and down to her neck. He enjoyed feeling her heart race and listening to her shallow breathing, even though he could tell there was fear mingled with the excitement and pleasure. But he enjoyed feeling her fear, even though he didn't want to enjoy it. That's what he was and that was how he felt, right or wrong.

Vella was exhilarated as well as frightened. She returned his kiss with a careful fervor, enjoying every moment, pushing the fear from her head and trying to only feel from her heart. As he slid his hands up the back of her shirt, they were interrupted.

"Oops, didn't know you were busy," Bonnie said as she walked in the door, followed by Elena.

Damon took his hands out of Vella's shirt and grinned at her. Then turned to the girls and rolled his eyes. He gave Vella a kiss on the forehead, before leaving the kitchen.

"Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt," Elena apologized.

"It's okay," Vella said blushing slightly. She turned back to the pot on the stove, hoping they wouldn't notice her flushed face.

Bonnie and Elena giggled quietly. They weren't laughing at her blushing, but at the fact she seemed to be embarrassed about it.

Vella finished dinner for herself, Elena and Bonnie. They sat at the table eating and commiserating. It was easy for Vella to forget she was older than the girls, since they were very mature for their age. To her they were family, the only family she really had.

After a lot of talking, joking and gossiping, Elena went to spend time with Stefan, while Bonnie went with Vella up to her bedroom to talk more privately.

Vella showed Bonnie her family grimoire's, which they spent hours reading through. It wasn't until they both began to doze off that Bonnie decided to go home for the night.

Damon walked into the room as Vella was getting ready for bed. She had just taken her shirt off, but was still wearing her black bra and black jeans. He approached her from behind, putting his hands on her upper arms and began to slowly kiss her back.

Vella closed her eyes, enjoying the tingling sensation Damon was creating up her back, onto her shoulders and up to her neck. He turned her around and began kissing her lips softly at first, then with more passion, his arms around her hips, pulling her tightly against him. She soon forgot about how tired she was.

It had been so long, he was unable to control himself fully. As he kissed her neck, he began to get rougher until his face changed without notice and his fangs descended, piercing through the delicate skin on Vella's neck. Her struggling and muted screams went unnoticed for a few moments as he drank from her. It wasn't until he felt her body start to go limp and her struggling became less, that he realized what he had done.

Damon picked Vella's limp body up in his arms and laid her gently on the bed. He grabbed a nearby shirt and held it to her neck to stymie the bleeding. He looked at her pale face, fear and panic rushing through him painfully. He hadn't lost his control in so long and he wasn't sure what had happened. He tried playing the moment back in his head, but it seemed so surreal. It seemed more like a dream or an out of body experience. He was about to bite his wrist to give her his blood, when he remembered about the curse. If she died with his blood in her, she would just die, not become a vampire. He was desperate and was thinking of yelling for his brother, but he couldn't do it. He couldn't tell him what happened, not knowing how his brother felt about her. He knew he would though, if she was dying. But for now she seemed okay.

He paced the room back and forth for quite a while. He kept going over the moment over and over again, between berating himself and feeling murderous towards John Gilbert. He settled on beating himself up and talking himself into needing to stay away from Vella after she was better. He couldn't risk her life again, he wouldn't. The worst part was knowing he would do it again. He wasn't sure why, but he knew he would. And he was afraid that next time he wouldn't be able to stop. The taste of her blood was the purest he had ever tasted. It tasted like a newborn child's blood, so pure and untainted. Everytime he thought about it, he began to lose control again. He knew he couldn't live like this, so he came to a painful decision. It shook his whole being to the core, but it was the right thing for Vella, even if she wouldn't agree. He knew it was the unselfish thing to do.

**A/N: I didn't really want to end this here, but I didn't want a super long chapter either. Might be awhile until I post again because of the holidays. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	67. Chapter 67

Chapter 67 ~ Separation

Damon waited painfully for Vella to regain consciousness several hours later. He apologized profusely, trying not to show how stressed he was, when she finally woke up. She was tired, but she told him she felt fine and that it wasn't a big deal. All she wanted was something to drink and eat.

Once Damon went downstairs to get her something, she got out of bed to go to the bathroom. She was light headed when she first stood up, so she grabbed a hold of her bed post until the spinning feeling went away and she was able to see straight again.

She walked slower than normal, just in case the dizziness returned, but it didn't. Once she was in the bathroom, she shut the door and locked it, so she could have some privacy. She immediately went to the mirror to look at her neck. It didn't hurt as bad as it looked, at least to her. She knew Damon would have a different opinion. In fact, she _knew_ he had a different opinion by the look on his face when she woke up.

She cleaned the wound, which had dried blood on it and some bruising. The puncture wounds were perfectly round and straight, so they would be easy to hide, but the bruising might not be. She did the best she could to hide the damage, even though she wasn't really worried. She had been slightly afraid that this would happen, but it wasn't unexpected. She had shared her blood with him many times when she had been human and she had planned to do it again, but not like this.

After she was happy with her make up, she finished getting dressed and walked back to the bedroom to put her dirty clothes into the laundry hamper. She hadn't notice when she was getting undressed that there was some blood on them, so she made a mental note to get them cleaned right away.

She sat on the bed afterwards, waiting for Damon, but it wasn't a long wait. A minute later he appeared with a tray with her breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast and a glass of orange juice.

Vella smiled at him gratefully and he returned the smile, but it didn't show in his eyes, which made her upset. She ate her breakfast though, she was too hungry not to, upset or not. And when she was done, Damon grabbed her tray and took it back into the kitchen.

She waited for him to come back upstairs, but after five minutes, she gave up waiting and went into the kitchen to find him sitting at the table with his head in his hands. She knew he heard her come in, but he didn't move as she sat in the chair beside him.

"Damon, please," she begged. "Please stop all of this and look at me."

Damon didn't respond in any way, causing Vella to sigh loudly in frustration.

"Fine. Then I will do all of the talking and you listen."

She paused to see if he would respond, but once again he didn't.

"Don't blame yourself for what happened, I don't. I knew this could happen, I got just as caught up in the moment as you did. If I had been paying more attention, this never would have happened."

He lifted his head out of his hands, looking at her with disbelief.

"How can you blame yourself for this?" he asked, shaking his head. "I nearly killed you and you blame yourself? Do you know how stupid that sounds?"

She looked at him, pursing her lips. "You're a vampire, Damon. It's not like I don't know that. I know exactly what it's like. That's why I don't blame you."

"Well you should! It was my fault. I bit you. I couldn't help myself."

"And I should have known that might happen."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes."

He looked at her with a face full of frustration and anger. He couldn't believe how stubborn she was being. It was making his resolve weaken and he knew he couldn't let that happen.

"We can't fool ourselves, Vella. This can't be. Not anymore."

"What are you saying?" she asked frantically.

"Us. There can't be an us anymore. I could never live with myself if I hurt you again...or worse, killed you."

"So you're going to take the easy way out? The coward's way?"

Damon got up from his chair and was beside her in an instant. He placed his face right by her neck and talked softly, hoping to frighten her.

"Even now, I want to taste your blood again. It's all that's running through my mind. All the years of control mean nothing, not now. Your blood is like an infant's, so clean and pure."  
He had to stop and stand up straight. Her smell was making him hungry. He backed up and turned around, trying to control the change in his face.

Vella was too shocked to notice what he was doing. She was thinking about his last sentence, "_Your blood is like an infant's, so clean and pure_." Suddenly everything made sense to her. Why John's slap had done so much damage. Why Damon couldn't control himself. She had been reborn. It would have to be the only way she could be human again. So why was she surprised when her body reacted to things like a newborn baby's would?

"Damon?" she called, laying her hand on his back.

He shrugged her hand off his back and turned around. His face was calm, but his eyes were full of a deep sorrow.

"I can't do this," he said quietly. "I can't be with you any longer. The temptation is just too strong."

"You don't have to do this," she replied frantically. "It just takes time."

"Time you don't have. Do you not understand I could have killed you?"

"But you didn't."

He looked at her angrily. "But I almost did. I couldn't live with myself if I killed you."

"So you're saying you can live without me, but not if you killed me?"

He swallowed hard, not wanting to say it out loud. But he knew he had to say it. If not for him, at least for her. It was the only way he could make her understand.

"We can't be together anymore," he said sadly. "I'm going to leave as soon as I have a chance to talk to Stefan."

Vella was stuck between her sorrow and her anger. But somehow the anger won.

"No! You won't do that. This is your house. I will move out."

"And where would you go?"

"What, now I'm helpless?" she shrieked.

"Of course not."

"I'll be gone in an hour or so. I don't wanna see you again."

Damon was surprised by her anger, but he didn't relent. He had to push her away, it would be the best thing for her. He was broken hearted inside and it felt like someone had ripped all his insides out, but he knew it would be even more painful if he had harmed her worse than he already had.

He watched as she stormed upstairs and felt his stomach drop again. He could hear her throwing things around upstairs into a suitcase. It wasn't very long before Stefan heard it too and came to investigate.

"What's going on, Damon?" he asked.

"None of your business."

Stefan looked at him concerned, which made Damon relent. He knew he would find out eventually and maybe he would be able to convince him he was doing the right thing.

Stefan was deeply troubled. He hadn't known Damon to lose control very often, especially with Vella. He really didn't want to be in the middle of it, but he couldn't stand by and watch his brother hurting so badly. He cared about both of them too much to let them suffer.

After Damon explained everything, he went upstairs to try and talk some sense into Vella.

"Can we talk?" he asked.

Vella stopped putting clothes into her suitcase and looked at him sternly.

"What do you want?"

"Damon told me what happened."

"And your point is?"

Stefan looked at her with concern. "You know that Damon is just looking after you, right? Doing what he thinks is best."

She sighed deeply and frowned. "So am I, Stefan."

He looked at her with surprise, not knowing quite what to say.

"He's right. As much as I would love to say he's wrong, he isn't. I honestly don't think he would hurt me, but he might. I can't do that to him. I can't be that constant temptation." She sighed lightly and sat down on the bed looking defeated. "Whatever happened to me. It's messed my body up. A simple slap from John caused my face to look like I had been pummeled. And Damon tastes my blood and says it's so pure, he can't resist." She looked down at her hands, looking more sullen. "Unless you're going to turn me into a vampire, Stefan. Then I have no choice to do this. No matter how much it hurts."

Vella lifted her head and look into her brother in law's eyes. She knew the answer to his question. He wouldn't turn her. She had no choice than to stay away from Damon until she could figure out how to fix her body.

She got up from the bed and continued putting clothes into her suitcase. Stefan walked over to her and laid his hand on her shoulder.

"Is there anything else I can do to change your mind?"

She turned around, looking at him sadly. "No. I have to do this. It's breaking my heart, Stefan. This is the most painful thing I've ever gone through...and it's not like my life hasn't been without heart break." Her eyes seemed to look far away at that moment. She was thinking about her parents and her sister. She didn't think she would ever get over their loss. But even so, this was the most painful thing she had to do that she had a choice in. But she had to tell herself she was doing this for Damon, it was the only way she could manage to keep strong and follow through.

Stefan nodded. "I completely understand."

"Good. Then you can make sure Damon understand too," she said, on the verge of tears. "I'm not afraid of dying, Stefan. I've been there before. But if Damon were the cause...he would never forgive himself. I can't do that to him."

Stefan nodded again and walked over to Vella and hugged her tightly. "I will do the best I can," he said, then walked out of her room without another word.

Vella watched him leave, then set out to finish her packing. It didn't take her much longer, she had pretty much all she needed. The last things she packed were her family's grimoires. Once she was satisfied she had everything she needed, she ran down the stairs as fast as her legs could carry her, slammed the door behind her and hopped in her car. After fishing her keys out of her purse, she began the sad, lonely drive away from the boarding house. The place she had called home for almost two years.

The tears began to fall as soon as she was on the main road. It made it difficult to drive, but the road was quiet. She hadn't known where she was going to go at first, but then she remembered about her family cabin. It was the only piece of property she had left in the world, since she had sold her house. So she went to the grocery store to grab some food and then made the drive out to the cabin.

It was beginning to get dark when she drove down the laneway to the cabin. She felt a shiver go down her spine, though she wasn't sure why. She wished she could still see as well as a vampire, then she wouldn't feel so afraid. She did her best to push those feelings away as she was grabbing her suitcase and grocery bags from her car. She dragged them down the short sidewalk to the front door and placed them on the porch beside the door, while she looked for the key to the cabin. After retrieving the key from a small keychain she barely ever used, she opened the door, picked her stuff up and dragged it all inside.

After putting her groceries away, she went into the linen closet and found some sheets. She decided they weren't fresh enough, so she threw the sheets and pillowcases in the laundry to wash, then put her clothes from her suitcase away in the dresser in the master bedroom. She was doing her best to keep herself busy, it kept her from jumping out of her skin, but she knew eventually she would run out of things to do.

Once the bedroom was tidy, her clothes were away and her toiletries were put into the bathroom, it was time to throw the laundry into the dryer. Then she went into the kitchen and made herself dinner. She didn't make anything too elaborate, but it kept her busy until it was time to eat. Salad first, which gave her dinner, time to finish cooking. If she hadn't been used to eating alone, since she had become human again, she might have felt more alone, but she had been successful so far in keeping her thoughts away from Damon.

After dinner, she cleaned the dishes, then emptied the dryer and made her bed. It was then she realized she had run out of things to do. She couldn't even watch TV, because she didn't have cable. And she hadn't brought any movies to watch.

Panic began to set in as she realized she had nothing to do. Nothing to keep herself from thinking. From being in her own head. She remembered her laptop then and dragged it out of the car. After many unsuccessful attempts to get a wireless signal, she gave up and slumped onto the couch feeling defeated.

It didn't take long for the tears to start flowing, which she decided not to fight. She cried, sobbed and howled for quite a while, before she was able to get it under control. Her eyes were red and sore and her face had splotchy red spots when she was finished. She went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face hoping to get rid of the the redness. It did help, but only on her face, her heart still felt broken.

Once she was sure her crying fit was through, she climbed into her bed and got comfortable. She turned the lamp off beside the bed, then instantly realized she couldn't be alone in the dark right now, so she flipped the lamp back on. She fell asleep quickly, the crying session had made her exhausted enough, sleep just came to her.

It was about one a.m. when she awoke with a start. Since the lamp was on, she was able to realize where she was quickly. She didn't remember the dream that had startled her, which she was glad for. She tossed and turned for almost an hour before she gave up and got out of bed.

It was pitch black outside. She was standing at the front door looking out into the forest that lie beyond the cabin. She remembered the last time she had spent an evening here. It had been over two years, but she remembered it like it was yesterday. The agitation she felt while she waited to see if Damon and Stefan were okay. The elation at seeing her sister, who she had thought died eight years before that. The fear, when she realized her sister was a vampire and wanted to kill her. Then the happiness when she made her sister realize the truth. Then the sadness that came when her sister was killed in front of her. It was something she would relive in her head sometimes when she was alone. And now, being in the cabin wasn't helping. She realized it was probably the worst place to be alone, but she had no choice. She didn't have anywhere else to go.

No, that was a lie. She could have gone to a hotel. It's not like she couldn't afford it. Why did she come here? She would ask herself over and over again, but she would never figure out the answer. Instead she was here, in the cabin that used to be a happy place for her family. A place that held fun memories as well as more recent heartache. The place she died and woke up as a vampire. That memory was bittersweet.

After some crying, she went back to bed and fell asleep more easily. She didn't awaken again until the sun had already crested the horizon. After a breakfast of cold cereal, she sat at the kitchen table trying to figure out what she was going to do for the day. She decided to drive into town and see if she could think of anything.

She drove around for a short time, then decided to stop by the Gilbert house to see Jenna. She regretted it as soon as she stopped there, but she got out of her car and knocked on the front door, reservations or not. John's car wasn't there, so she figured it would be fine.

Vella knocked and waited. It wasn't long before the door swung open and Jeremy was standing behind it.

"Hey, Vella. What are you doing here?"

"Hi, Jer. I was hoping your Aunt was home."

"She went out for something, but she said she wouldn't be long."

"Can I stay and wait for her?"

He looked at her suspicious but smiled as he spoke. "Sure. Come in."

Vella walked in and sat in the livingroom while Jeremy closed the door behind her. He followed behind her a few moments later.

"It's a good thing my Uncle wasn't here."

Vella cringed inside, but kept a calm demeanor. "What has he been up to?"

He sat down on the couch beside her. "Just a lot of coming and going. He has been in a good mood for a few days though."

"I bet," she mumbled.

Jeremy looked at her seriously. "I heard him talking to someone. He said part one of the plan was complete and that..." he trailed off, biting his lip slightly.

"What is it Jeremy?"

"Is it true?" he asked. "Are you human again?"

Vella sighed deeply, avoiding his gaze. "Yes, it's true."

He looked at her apologetically, trying to say something, then thought better of it.

She was slightly amused by his discomfort which caused her to smile. "It's okay, Jer. I'm not exactly happy like this but it's fine."

He looked at her relieved. "Do you want me to leave you alone?"

"Honestly, no I don't. I've been alone too much lately. It might seem silly but do you want to play a game or something?"

He looked at Vella and laughed incredulously. "You wanna play a game with me?"

"What's so funny about that?" she asked.

"Nothing, nothing," he said as he stuck a disc into the Xbox. He grabbed the controllers and handed her one.

"You don't think I can beat you, do you?" she asked shortly.

He laughed as he looked at her. "No, I'm pretty sure you can't."

She laughed, glaring at him mockingly. "Then put your money where your mouth is."

"What have you got in mind?" he asked curiously.

She laughed. "If you win, I'll give you twenty bucks."

"Not that I'm worried, but I'm broke right now."

She laughed again. "If I win, you owe me a favor."

Jeremy's smile disappeared and he looked at her suspiciously. "What kind of favor?"

"I don't know yet. But it won't be anything terrible...I promise."

He smiled at her confidently. "I'm gonna win anyways. I'm not worried."

Vella laughed as Jeremy sat down beside her and they waited for the game to load. She knew he was going to choose the racing game he was so fond of and she knew she had a chance to beat him at it. What he didn't know was that Vella had played it before and in fact, used to own the previous version of the game, though not for the Xbox. Before Damon, she spent many hours playing video games by herself when she wasn't working. And the worst case scenario was that she would lose twenty bucks, which wasn't a big deal.

The first game, Jeremy won, but only by a very small margin. So Vella convinced him to play best two out of three, since she was rusty. She beat him the next two games, so he asked for best three out of five. She agreed, but when she beat him again and he tried to up the stakes, she refused.

"I warned you Jer," she said laughing.

He looked at her and rolled his eyes, which made her laugh more. It was then that Jenna and Alaric walked in the house.

"Hi, Vella!" Jenna greeted her happily. "Nice of you to visit."

Alaric nodded at her, following Jenna into the kitchen.

Vella got up from the couch, throwing the Xbox controller at Jeremy, who caught it and gave her a dirty look. She followed Jenna and Alaric into the kitchen and began helping Jenna put the groceries away, while Alaric went back out to the car.

"I'm really surprised to see you here, Vella."

"I had nothing better to do," she said as nonchalantly as possible.

"Do you have time to go through some stuff for the wedding?"

"Of course."

The thought of helping with a wedding right now pained her deep down inside. But she tried not to let it show, she didn't feel like answering any questions right now. She just wanted to be normal, feel normal and keep herself busy.

After all the groceries were away, Alaric left the house again and after Jeremy stuffed his face with some snacks, he went up to his room, leaving Jenna and Vella alone. They discussed plans for the wedding, going over as many details as they could in the couple of hours they had.

It was late when they were satisfied with everything they discussed, so they ordered some pizza and sat on the couch watching a movie. Alaric returned shortly after the movie had began.

Vella became uncomfortable with their displays of affection, so she made an excuse about being tired and got ready to leave. As she was walking out the door, Alaric came up behind her and grabbed her wrist, letting go of it once she stopped walking away.

"Can we talk a moment, Vella?"

She nodded and backed up, so she was standing outside on the porch and Alaric could walk out too, closing the door behind him.

"Stefan called me today."

She crossed her arms, looking at him frustrated. "And?"

Alaric sighed and looked at her sadly. "I'm sorry."

"I don't want to talk about it, Rick."

"I understand. But what I wanted to discuss was where you're staying."

"I'm staying in my cabin. Why?"

"That doesn't seem very safe to me."

She snorted. "That's not your concern. In fact, that's no one's concern anymore."

"Vella, please don't be difficult. You know we all just care about you."

She sighed and looked at him sadly. "I know. But I swear I will be fine. But wait. How did you know where I was staying?"

He looked at her, mulling over if he should tell her. "Stefan followed you last night...to make sure you were going to be safe."

She stomped her foot angrily, wagging her finger. "You tell him to leave me alone. And remind him. I won't be inviting him in."

"But hasn't he been invited in before?"

"Before I died. I'm not sure how it works but I'm pretty sure no vampire will be getting in...which suits me just fine."

She turned to walk away, when she almost ran into John.

"Fancy meeting you here," he said, smiling deviously.

"Go to hell, John," she said, walking around him quickly and hopping into her car.

Once she began to drive away, she realized her mistake. She shouldn't have let John see her so emotional. She could just imagine him at the house grinning madly, happy with himself. It made her angry to think about. She didn't even want to go home right now, so she decided to head to her storage unit instead, where she picked up a boxful of stuff before heading back to the cabin.

It was completely dark when she arrived, making it seem much scarier than the night before. She dragged her boxful of stuff into the livingroom, then went into the kitchen to look for a snack. She found a bag of chips, then went into the livingroom to sit down, while she snacked. She ate half the bag of chips, before she went through her box.

It was silly, but after playing games with Jeremy today, she just had to grab her Playstation out of storage to give her something to do. After hooking it up, she thumbed through her catalog of games, looking for something that would keep her busy. She found Final Fantasy 7, which she knew would keep her busy for hours. She put in the disc, turned it on and began to play. She lost herself in the game very quickly and hours went by without her realizing. It was well past one a.m. when she finally dozed off, still sitting up with the controller in her hand. And that's where she woke up later that morning.

**A/N: Well I tried to see what particular game system Jeremy has in the show, but I couldnt tell by the controller. Both Xbox and the Playstation 2, or was it 3, looked much the same by what i can see of the controller (when he's playing a game with Damon). At least I tried lol. I just assumed since they seem to promote Microsoft on the show by using Bing etc, that it was more likely. Personally, Im more fond of the Playstation lol.**

**I hope this chapter wasn't too boring. I swear it's gonna get much more interesting very soon lol.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	68. Chapter 68

Chapter 68 ~ A Mysterious Find

Vella woke up the next morning with a kink in her neck. She had fallen asleep sitting up on the couch, playing a game, with her head slumped to one side. She got up and stretched, trying to work the kink out, but to no avail. The only solution she could think of was a nice warm shower.

After her shower, she had breakfast, tidied up and went into town. Her first stop was the nearest corner store to grab a newspaper. She had been out of touch with the rest of the town, and world, for far too long. Then she headed to a coffee shop, to have some coffee and read the newspaper.

Something in the paper caught her eye while she was browsing through it. The hospital needed volunteers for a massive blood drive they were holding. She laughed at the irony, but this was something that she could do. Even though she had quit working, she kept up her nursing license. So she decided to head to the hospital later on and see if she could make herself useful.

She was about to get up from the table she was sitting at, when someone sat across from her. She lifted her head and scowled at him. It was John Gilbert.

"I'm about to leave, John. So make your taunting quick. I have things to do."

"Oh. And here I thought you had lots of free time on your hands now?" he asked rhetorically.

She glared at him, but refused to say anything.

"You do know I have much more planned for you?"

"I may not be a vampire anymore, John. But I still possess the gift of magic."

"That won't be a problem. Though I won't say I was hoping you would have lost them."

"My mother may have underestimated you, but I don't. Now get the hell away from me before I do something you will regret."

John glared at her, but didn't move. It made Vella so angry, she used her magic without really thinking about it.

The sugar shaker on the table, tipped over and poured sugar onto the table. Then the spilled sugar began to float slightly and it went up the sleeve of John's shirt. The surprise on John's face was priceless. He didn't want to freak out and draw attention to what was going on, but on the same hand, he was itchy.

Vella had the biggest smile she had had on her face in a long time. He gave her an evil glare before almost running out of the coffee shop, sugar falling from his clothes. A few people had been staring over in her direction, but once John had left they went back to what they were doing and she went back to reading the newspaper for a few minutes, she didn't want to run into John outside.

After a few minutes, she left the coffee shop. She looked around the parking lot nervously, but John didn't seem to be anywhere around, so she got in her car and proceeded to drive to the hospital.

She found her old friend and boss, Christina, working on the second floor.

"It's been forever since I seen you, Vella. Since your wedding," she said smiling. "You look great."

Vella hugged her gently, smiling. "Thanks, so do you. I see you're with child."

Christina laughed. "Yeah, can't miss that, can you?"

Vella laughed also. "No, not really. So how far have you got left?"

"A month. If you can believe it by the size of me."

"Well for your sake, I hope the baby comes early."

Christina laughed. "Yeah, thanks. Me too."

"I actually came to see if you still needed volunteers for the blood drive."

She looked at her with surprise. "Really? I didn't think you wanted to work anymore?"

"Well, I didnt. But I'm bored and it's a great cause."

"Do you still have a valid nursing license? Or did you just want to be a regular volunteer?"

"I still have my license."

"Great. We need more nurses. Have you thought about coming back to work?"

Vella hadn't thought of it, but she was thinking about it now. There was no reason to stay at home day in and day out with nothing to do.

"I'll think about it."

"Good," she replied with a nod. "Go down to the nurse's station and ask for the info and papers you need. I really need to finish my rounds."  
"Thanks, Christina. I'll see you later."

"It was nice seeing you again, Vella," she said with a smile, grabbing her clipboard and walking down the hall.

Vella went to the nurse's station and got the papers and info, before leaving to have some lunch. She went to the nearest fast food restaurant, where she ate while filling out her papers. She returned them to the hospital afterwards, then drove back to the cabin.

She tidied up a bit, when she heard a knock at the door. She walked into the hallway to see who it was, but she had the inside door closed. She wondered for a moment if she should answer it, then walked to the door and opened it.

"What do you want?" she asked impatiently.

"Can we talk?" asked Stefan.

"I ignored your phone calls. I would have thought you'd have gotten the message by now," she replied, crossing her arms.

"Can I come in?"

"Hell no! I'm not inviting you in."

He looked at her in surprise. "You know I would never hurt you, Vella."

"You're right."

Stefan sighed, looking defeated. "I just wanted to know how you are. I promised my brother I would make sure you're safe."

"You mean he gives a damn?"

"Come on, Vella. You know he's hurting just as much as you are."

"That's where you're wrong, Stefan. I'm perfectly fine. And if I could get rid of my John Gilbert problem, then I could live a long, happy, quiet life."

"I know you're hurting, Vella. I can see it in your eyes. You're trying to be tough, but I know you. You're lonely and terrified."

He had finally hit her button. She was more than just irritated now, she was angry.

"You don't know me as well as you think, Stefan. Now get out of here before you regret it," she said menacingly.

He looked at her pleadingly. "Can you please just be careful?"

She looked at him angrily and he began to clutch his head in agony and fell to his knees. She smiled at him sadistically. At the moment she didn't realize why she was enjoying his pain as much as she was. But later on, when she would have time to reflect, she would realize she had been taking her pain and frustration out on him. It had made her feel good at the time, but later on she would begin to feel really bad about it. She couldn't apologize though. She needed to keep her tough resolve. She had to do it for Damon, no matter how much it killed her.

Once Stefan was able to stand back up and was pain free. He left her porch without another word. Vella hoped he would stay away from now on. It was the only way she could keep Damon out of her mind.

After she was positive he was gone, she shut the door and locked it, then walked into the kitchen to start her supper. It was still early, but it gave her time to make something better than fast food. She put a small roast into a roasting pan, with some carrots and onions. Added spices and some broth, then put it into the oven and began to cook it on low. She peeled a few potatoes and cut them up and put them into a pot with some water and put it on the stove with a lid on it. When she was satisifed she had everything set for her dinner later, she went into the livingroom and began to thumb though her grandmother's old grimoire.

At first she was flipping through the pages quickly, only perusing the beginning of each page, but when she got near the end, she found something so interesting, she had to read it all. It was a few pages worth of reading, all about the Lockwood's. She couldn't understand it all, some seemed to be written in another language, but something told her she needed to find out what language so she could get it translated.

She picked up her phone and tried to call Alaric, but it went straight to voicemail. She realized he was probably in class still, so she turned her oven down even lower and headed back into town. She pulled up to the high school parking lot, then changed her mind about parking there. She went just down the street and parked her car there instead.

Vella walked slowly from her car to the school, not wanting to get there too early. It was almost the end of the day and she didn't want to interrupt his class. She walked in the front doors and headed down the corridor towards his class. The hall was completely empty as she walked towards his classroom. She stood by his door and waited for three minutes, when the bell rang. She waited until the teens stopped pouring out of the class, then sneaked in.

She scanned the room and noticed no one else was there, so she closed the door tightly and turned back to face Alaric. He was bent over at his desk, fumbling with papers in his desk and he hadn't noticed she was there. She cleared her throat loudly and he jumped with a start, bumping his head on his desk.

"Oww," he said, wincing slightly and rubbing his head. "I didn't see you come in."

Vella chuckled slightly, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's okay," he replied smiling, though embarrassed. "Was there something you needed?"

"I hate to bother you," she said, approaching the desk. "But I need to know what language this is." She handed him the grimoire, opened to one of the pages with the unusual language.

Alaric studied it, but wasn't sure just by looking. "I'll have to do some checking for you. Can I hold on to this?"

"No," she said, almost frantically. "Can we make a copy instead?"

"Absolutely," he agreed. "Follow me."

Vella followed Alaric into the copier room. Watching as he copied a page from the book. She wouldn't allow him to copy any more than that, just in case it was something he had no business knowing about. He promised, he would found out as soon as he could. But first, she made him promise not to mention anything about it to anyone, which he agreed wholeheartedly.

After leaving the school, she headed back home to finish her dinner. After she ate, she went through her family grimoire's trying to remember anything that might help her figure out what the mysterious language was and why it was there at all. But after the whole evening, she wasn't any closer to figuring out the mystery.

Three days later, Vella was working at the hospital's blood drive. It was a strange sensation at first, being around blood and not craving it. In fact, she was a little repulsed. But wanting to help and her nursing education helped her get through that initial repulsion. She found it wonderful to be around people again and helping. She felt normal for the first time in a really long time.

The day went past pretty quick. Before she knew it it was late afternoon. It had gotten quiet so one of the other nurses were on break, which only left her and two others, who were already busy with other patients. She turned to help the next person and was surprised to see John Gilbert.

"Nice to see you, Vella," he said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

"As much as I would love to cause pain to you, I'm not drawing your blood."

"Isn't that your job?"

"It is, but we aren't supposed to cause harm," she said, giving him a dirty look.

He smiled, sitting in the chair, rolling his sleeve up, waiting.

Vella wanted to walk away, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. She drew his blood, being as gentle and careful as she possibly could.

"I didn't know you could be so gentle," John mocked as he rolled his sleeve back down.

She rolled her eyes and cleaned up the area, completely ignoring him as he left. Once he was gone, she realized she had been holding her breath slightly. Being able to breath deeply again made her feel a lot better.

After they were closed for the day, she decided to donate some blood herself. She let Christina be the one to do it, she knew she would be gentle enough. The whole situation felt surreal. It was only two weeks ago she was drinking blood and now she was donating it instead. She was happy once she was done though. Donating blood had never been her favorite thing to do.

It wasn't even more than ten minutes later, she noticed the site where the needle had been was bruised. She made sure she kept her sleeve pulled down so no one would want to look at it and ask questions...with answers she wouldn't be able to explain. She bid farewell to everyone and left the hospital, to head for her car. It was almost dark already, the last rays of the sun were still visible over the horizon but the sky was already darkening and mottled with tiny specks of light.

As she fumbled in her purse for her keys, a figure came up beside her, startling her. She turned to confront them, then jumped back laughing uncomfortably.

"I'm so sorry, Vella," Alaric apologized profusely. "I didn't mean to startle you. I should know better than that."

Vella smiled at him, shaking her head, with her hand over her heart. "It's okay. I'm just jumpy."

"I would have come in earlier but...I don't much like needles."

She put her hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"You run with vampires and you're afraid of needles?" she laughed. "You're just too much."

Alaric rolled his eyes, looking at her impatiently.

"I'm sorry. Now we're even," she said grinning.

He returned the smile, happy to see she was in a better mood than he had seen her recently.

"I would like to discuss what I found...but in private."

She looked at him strangely. "Is it bad?"

"No," he said shaking his head slightly. "It's just something that should be kept private."

"I'm heading back home as soon as I grab something to eat. Do you want to meet me there?"

"Sure. I'll be there in about an hour."

Vella nodded in agreement and he walked back to his own car, while she opened the door to her car, got in and drove away. She went and grabbed herself some chinese take out, before heading back to the cabin.

She sat on the couch in the livingroom with her take out and a beer, while watching TV. She had finally sprung for a satellite dish, so she would be able to watch something in the evenings before bed. It was easier than renting and returning movies over and over again. Alaric showed up shortly after she had finished eating. So she cleared up her mess and got him a beer, then sat down on the couch to discuss her grandmother's grimoire.

"Before we go into detail," Alaric began. "You need to know how very rare and unusual this is. This language wasn't a common one and it was difficult to figure out."

She looked at him curiously. "Is that what took you so long?"

"Yes. I actually had to talk to an old professor of mine. But I didn't let him translate much of it, just in case."

"What language was it?"

"It was Celtic."

"Celtic? Like the druids?"

"Exactly. It seems your family was descended from the Druids."

Vella looked at him in astonishment. She had no clue that she was descended from Druids. She had always assumed her family had come from overseas.

"Am I going to be able to translate all of this?"

"You should be able to. I had to borrow this," he said, pulling out a large, ancient looking book out of a bag he had sitting beside him and laid it on the table. "I promised my old professor I wouldn't have it for too long and I would look after it."

She rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything. He had done her a very big favor and she was trying to be grateful.

"Are you going to help me translate?"

He looked at his watch, then grabbed his phone from his pant's pocket. "I'm gonna call Jenna and let her know what I'm up to."

Vella smiled and got up to go into the kitchen to give him some privacy. She grabbed another beer for herself and Alaric and a bag of chips, which she brought into the livingroom and placed them on the table. He was already off the phone when she returned, so he smiled at her, grabbed the fresh beer and took a drink.

"Jenna says I can stay as late as I need to. She's not feeling well so she's going to bed early."

"Okay, great. Not sure how long I will be awake for. I donated blood today and after a few beers I might just pass out."

He chuckled slighty. "Then let's get to work."

Vella and Alaric set to work trying to translate the passages in her grandmother's grimoire that were written in the ancient Celtic language. It wasn't completely difficult as her writing was very clear, but it was very time consuming and tedious. The more they uncovered, the more excited Vella became. She didn't want to stop until everything had been translated.

They got well over half way through the pages, before Vella really noticed what she had been reading. It was strange, but very exciting. It was almost one a.m. before she realized it was so late. She wasn't really tired, but Alaric seemed to be, so she decided it was time for him to leave.

"Swear to me, you will take care of this," Alaric said, pointing to the ancient looking book.

"Absolutely," she said, walking to the front door. "I don't know how I can ever thank you for this."

He smiled and put his hand on her shoulder. "That's not necessary. Just be happy. You deserve that."

A single tear rolled out from her eye. She tried to wipe it inconspicuously, but it was way too obvious. Alaric pulled her into an embrace, holding her tightly while she let the tears flow freely. It had been a few days since she had last cried and it felt good, even better in the arms of a supportive friend.

Vella cried for a short while, losing track of time. It might have been a minute, but it could have been ten, she had no clue. All she knew was, one minute she was crying and being held and the next her lips were on Alaric's, kissing him without abandon. She knew looking back, that if they hadn't been tired and been drinking, it would never have happened. She would never have betrayed Jenna like that. But the fact was she _was_ upset, tired and drunk.

Vella began to come back to her senses after Alaric, wearing only pants, laid her down on the couch. Her shirt and pants had come off at some point, though she barely realized it. She was wearing only her bra and panties, and he was on top of her, his hands sliding down her waist as he nibbled her neck gently. She figured it must have been the familiar sensation of having her neck nibbled that brought her around. But whatever it was, she was grateful she had come to her senses before things went way too far.

"Alaric!" she said forcefully as she pushed him off her gently. "Stop. We can't do this."

Alaric got off the couch, looking embarrassed. He grabbed up his shirt, which was not far from the couch and put it on hurriedly.

"I am so sorry, Vella," he said quickly. "That never should have happened."

Vella got up from the couch and grabbed her shirt, which had ended up on the arm of the couch, and threw it on quickly.

"You're right. I don't know what happened. I'm so sorry, Alaric."

He shook his head looking appalled. "No, that was my fault. I should know better."

She was about to pick her pants off the fllor, when she turned and looked at him with surprise. "What do you mean? We're both at fault."

He walked over to her, looking at her sadly, brushing a stray hair from her face. "This is probably the wrong thing to say right now, but I've had feelings for you for a while now."

"Alaric..."

"No, just let me say what I have to say, please?" She nodded in agreement and closed her mouth.

"I love, Jenna. I really do. But there's always been something about you...but you were a vampire, so it never mattered before."

"Okay, that's enough. I don't want to hear anymore," she said with tears threatening to spill.

He grabbed her into an embrace again, even though she fought it for a few seconds. But she gave up and began to cry again, her hands balled up into fists against his chest. He held her for a minute, before holding her at arms length, looking deep into her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I know you miss, Damon. I know you're still getting adjusted to your life again. And now I've added this situation to the mix," he wiped a tear from her face absentmindedly. "I took advantage of the situation and that was wrong. All I can say is I'm only human and I made a huge mistake. Can you forgive me?"

She shook her head slightly, taking a deep breath and releasing it, before she could speak again.

"Of course I forgive you. But only as long as you forgive me?"

He smiled supportively. "Of course."

"Then let's forget this ever happened."

"Agreed."

Vella felt incredibly awkward as she walked Alaric to the front door. As soon as he exited the door, she locked it tightly. She gathered up her pants, which were still on the floor, took them into the bathroom and threw them in the laundry hamper. She then ran a warm bath, took her stuff off and soaked in the tub. Unfortunately, it didn't help her mind any. But it did make her sleepy again, which is what she wanted.

After getting out of the tub and drying herself off, she slipped into her silk robe. She double checked the door was locked, then shut all the lights off in the house and climbed into bed. She was so sleepy she barely had time to think about anything before she passed out from exhaustion.

**A/N: I hope some of this wasn't too boring, I AM going somewhere with this lol. Happy New Year!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	69. Chapter 69

Chapter 69 ~ Long Lost Family History

Vella woke up the next morning with a headache. She wasn't sure if it was from donating blood, drinking too much or her guilt from the night before, or perhaps a combination of all of those things. She got up, throwing on an old t-shirt and some sweat pants, and went into the bathroom and took an aspirin.

She looked at herself in the mirror and noticed bags under her eyes. It was then she looked at her watch and realized it was only six in the morning, she hadn't slept very long. She sighed heavily and went into the kitchen to make herself some oatmeal. She hoped the warmth and having a full belly would help her fall asleep again. She was right. After eating she went back to bed and slept until the afternoon.

It was after one in the afternoon when she got out of bed again. She turned the TV on, not really caring what was on. It managed to be a soap opera, which she soon changed. The similarities between what was going on and her upsetting situation from the night before was way too close and she didn't really need any reminders.

While her headache had disappeared, she still didn't feel great. She decided she wasn't going to leave the house at all. Instead, she would find something to do around the house. And after something to eat, she remembered about the grimoire.

She sat in the livingroom, deciphering more of her grandmother's grimoire. As long as she worked fast at it and didn't allow her mind to wander, it was kept from thinking about the events of the night before. But every time she stopped, it crept back into her mind. She pushed it out several times, each time becoming easier until she was able to forget about it completely. She couldn't really take credit for it though, the grimoire had revealed some interesting facts that was making it difficult to think about anything other that it.

Hours later, she had completely deciphered the grimoire. She was so excited, and wary, about the new information, that she wanted to share it with someone, but she didn't know who. Her mind wandered to Damon quickly, which put her on the verge of tears, before she pushed him out of her mind. She tried not to think about Alaric either, that would just cause more problems as well. The sad thing was, she didn't really have anyone to tell. She had been keeping away from anyone and everyone that had any link to her while she'd been with Damon. And while that kept her from losing it, it also meant she had no one to talk to. She wanted to kick herself for ruining things with Alaric. She could have talked to him, but she didn't feel right about it...at least for the now.

Vella decided to forget about everything for the moment and make something to eat for dinner. She wasn't really that hungry so she made herself some soup from a can and a ham sandwich. Just before she finished eating, she got a strange text from a mysterious sender. It read; _Meet me at the Grill at 9 pm sharp. Sit at a table by yourself. Don't be late...or else._

"What the hell?" she exclaimed out loud, before she realized she was talking to herself.

She shook her head, trying to figure out who would be sending her a strange text message. The only one she could think of was John Gilbert. It just sounded like him, which made her skin crawl. But most of all, she had a feeling she couldn't explain that told her it was him. She wasn't sure if she should show up though, but in the end she decided she should. At least it was in a public place. There wasn't much he could do to her there.

Vella drove into town early and just drove around. She didn't really want to go into The Grill in case she ran into someone she knew. She knew it was silly, but she was feeling kind of anxious.

It was almost nine, before she was able to gather up enough courage to park her car and go inside. As she walked through the door, she glanced around to see if she saw anyone she knew. She saw that Matt was working, but she wasn't really worried about him. He wouldn't bother her too much. She looked around a little more carefully a second time, but didn't see anyone, which was fortunate. She took a deep breath and found a booth near a quiet, but not secluded, part of the room. She sat in the booth trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, but she still managed to be seen.

"Hey, Vella," Matt greeted here. "Long time no see."

She smiled at him. "Hey, Matt."

He sat down beside her, looking serious. "How have you been? You good?"

"Thanks for being concerned, Matt, but I'm fine."

He looked at her as if he wanted to say something, but shook his head and stood up.

"What is it, Matt?"

"It's none of my business. I gotta get back to work."

"Matt!" she said exasperatedly.

"Fine, fine," he said, looking very put out. "I don't know what's going on with you, no one really tells me anything. But Damon..." Vella winced at his name. "He went nuts late last night. He nearly trashed the place."

Vella felt a twinge of guilt, but pushed it to the back of her mind. There was no way he could have known what happened last night. It had to be a coincidence. She shrugged her shoulders looking disappointed.

"I don't know what to say, Matt."

He shook his head and smiled. "I gotta get back to work. Take it easy."

Vella returned the smile, nodding as he walked away. She tried to relax again but the mention of Damon had her upset. She didn't have too much time to think about him as John Gilbert approached her booth, sitting opposite from her, not more than a minute later.

"Hello, Vella," he greeted with a smile.

"I knew it was you, John."

"Yet you came? I'm very impressed," he replied mockingly.

"Look, I'm tired John. I don't have time for your antics. So tell me what you want so I can get home to bed."

"Did you stay up too late last night?"

Vella looked at him defyingly, not willing to react to his taunting.

"You won't be so brave in a minute," he said and laughed darkly.

She rolled his eyes at him and stood up. "I'm outta here."

He looked at her menacingly and pointed to the booth. "Sit down."

She tried staring him down, but she was too disgusted by his evil twisted look to keep looking at him. She sat down hesitantly, crossing her arms in defiance.

John chuckled and looked around mockingly, then looked at her with a huge grin. "So did you hear what Damon was up to last night?"

"Even if I had it's not my problem," she replied with as much conviction as she could muster.

The grimace on John's face became wider. "He was pretty angry. I'm really surprised he didn't look for Alaric and tear him apart."

Vella's eyes grew wide in surprise, even as she tried to fight it.

"That's right, Vella. He saw you last night. But I can't give him all the credit," he was grinning wildly. "You see, he got this anonymous call and he just couldn't help himself."

"What the hell did you do, John?"

His laugh was filled with a sick pleasure. "I told you I wasn't done with you or those filthy leeches!"

She looked at him with eyes that were filled with rage and hate. "You're going to regret this, John. I warned you."

He laughed, handing her an envelope. "Open it."

She narrowed her eyes, opening the envelope quickly. Her breath caught in her chest as she pulled out a photograph of her and Alaric half naked and kissing. "You sick son of a bitch!"

He looked at her seriously, though his mouth was curled into a grin at the corners of his lips. "You can have that copy. I have others."

"So you hurt, Damon. Good for you, John," she said as she tore up the picture.

"Even better when I show Jenna the pictures."

Vella slapped him across the face, panting heavily with rage. "If you show her those pictures, John..."

He grinned, touching his hand to his face in surprise. "What? What will you do, Vella?"

Her eyes narrowed, her hands clenched tightly into fists. "I will make you pay, John. For what you've done to my parents and my sister, Damon and whoever else you try to hurt."

He snorted, looking amused. "I'm not afraid of you."

"You should be," she said with a murderous tone. "I may not be a vampire anymore, but I do remember the rush I got from killing. And I doubt I would have any regrets of ridding the world of you."

He looked at her evilly, smirking. "Now your true nature shows. Not the sweet, innocent act you try to play for everyone."

"I've never tried to be sweet or innocent. But that's the difference between you and me. You pretend you're this wonderful, upstanding man, when you're really a loathsome, cruel, hate filled person."

"As fun as it is to trade insults, I'm bored of this." His face turned into a sneer. "But I'll tell you what. If you do as I ask, then I won't tell Jenna a thing."

"Blackmail huh? Well I won't stoop to that, John. If you want to tell Jenna, then go ahead. It's better than the alternative...making deals with the devil."

John looked at her with an intense anger. "I will make you regret your decision."

Vella returned the look with an anger just as intense as she watched him leave the Grill. As soon as he was out of eyesight and wasn't going to return, her tough visage disappeared and she crumpled slightly to the table, covering her face with her hands. She tried to hold back the tears, but she couldn't. The tears poured from her eyes as her whole body shook from the spasms and her breath began to come in gulps. She had completely forgotten where she was, until she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Vella?" Caroline called with concern, sitting down beside her and putting her arm around her. "Oh my god! What's wrong?"

The last thing Vella wanted was to confide in Caroline. She was the last person she would ever want to tell anything as private as this. But she didn't have a choice, at least to tell her something. There was no way she was going to tell her everything though.

Vella wiped her eyes, picking her head up from the table and looking at Caroline. "It's nothing for you to worry about."

Caroline looked at her questioningly. "You're crying in a public place. And not even just crying, you're really crying."

Vella sniffled a little and sighed. "If I asked you to leave me alone, would you?"

Caroline put on her stubborn look. "No way."

"Go away, Caroline."

"Is this about, Damon?"

"Caroline, go away!" she said, almost yelling.

She looked at Vella with shock, then got up from the table and walked away. Vella took the opportunity to sneak to the bathroom before she returned.

She checked the stalls in the bathroom to make sure they were empty before she began to clean her face. The cool water helped the redness and puffiness go down, while the time it took to do so, helped her calm down. Once she was satisfied her face was fine, she fixed her make up and walked out of the bathroom...where Caroline had been waiting for her.

"Caroline..."

"No. You're going to come and sit down with me and Matt, now!"

She looked from her concerned, but determined, face to Matt's, who was now standing behind Caroline. She thought about it for a moment, but then relented. She figured if she didn't, they might tell someone else that she might not want to see. She nodded her head and followed them back to the table she had been sitting at.

Matt sat down across from her, while Caroline sat beside her. She suddenly felt like she was trapped and there was no way to escape, but she had to tell herself it would all be okay. This was still better than spending any amount of time with John.

Matt looked at Vella with sympathy. "I saw you with, John. Did he upset you?"

Vella nodded lightly, keeping eye contact so she didn't look as nervous as she felt.

"What happened? Did he threaten you or something?"

"To be honest with you, Matt. He did. But I don't want to discuss it."

"What did he threaten you with?"

"I can't talk about it."

Caroline put her arm around her in support. "You know you can trust us, don't you?"

"It's not a matter of trust, Caroline. I just can't talk about this. Not to anyone."

"Not even to friends?"

"No, not about this," she replied with a sigh. "But there is something you can do. Both of you."

"What's that?"

"Keep what happened tonight a secret, for one thing. And secondly, I don't wanna talk about this any longer. Just keep me company for a little while."

Matt and Caroline agreed to keep her company for as long as she wanted. Vella ordered up drinks and food and the three sat in the booth talking and eating for a little over an hour. It was almost eleven p.m. before she decided to go home.

Matt walked Vella to her car, he refused to let her go if he couldn't. She was very grateful, she didn't really feel comfortable walking out in the dark just now. She drove home quickly, locking the door immediately behind her and shutting all of the curtains. She wasn't going to let John take advantage of her again.

After a long soak in a tub full of epsom salts and lavender oil, she got into a warm pair of pajamas and sat on the couch looking through her mother's grimoire. She was looking for one spell in particular, which she found not long after she began searching. She prepared herself for the spell by writing down some names. Names of people who she would allow to come by the cabin. The rest would be in for a nasty surprise.

Vella walked into the kitchen and found the salt shaker, then put it down. She went to her cupboard and grabbed the larger container of salt, she would need more than what was in the shaker. She walked outside to the front step and threw the salt around on the ground, trying not to get it on her flowers. She closed her eyes and began chanting an intricate spell. It took a few minutes and when she was done she went back in the house and locked the door.

Sitting on the couch again, she closed her mother's spell book and laid her head back to think. She now felt safer with the spell in place. She really hoped John would come within a hundred feet of the house now. She only hoped she could see his face if it happened.

The spell she cast would protect her cabin within a hundred feet perimeter, from any person she didn't allow. It was why she had written the list before casting the spell so she didn't forget anyone. They would feel an excrutiating pain throughout their whole body that should make them collapse. But if not collapse, they would be in enough pain they wouldn't come any closer to the house.

Vella was able to sleep soundly that night, waking the next morning in a better mood than she had been in the night before. After a light breakfast she sat on the couch and began watching TV, but that didn't help her restlessness. Something had been bothering her, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She absentmindedly picked up her grandmother's spell book and started flipping through it. She reread the newly translated pages, then flipped back and read the pages she could read before, but hadn't made too much sense. Not until now.

She needed to talk to someone about all of this and now. But who should she call? She decided to call the only one who would understand and someone she could trust, Bonnie.

Bonnie showed up early in the afternoon, surprised by Vella's call. She hadn't asked what Vella had wanted and Vella hadn't offered any information, leaving her very intrigued.

Vella got some pop for the two of them to drink, then sat on the couch showing Bonnie the spell book.

"Does this mean what I think it means?" Bonnie asked her, much later.

"Yup."

"Are you going to mention this to Tyler?"

"Why would I do that?" Vella asked in surprise.

"You can break his curse. Wouldn't you want to help him?"

She looked at her strangely. "But then I would have to explain it to him. Explain that it was my family that was responsible for cursing him in the first place. I don't think I could do that."

"But if you could make it right, why wouldn't you?"

She searched for a moment for an answer, but she couldn't find one that didn't sound selfish or self serving. But the more she thought about it, the more she knew the answer.

"Only someone of my bloodline can break the spell, Bonnie. And I don't think I'm strong enough or advanced enough to even attempt it."

"We'll figure something out."

Vella wanted to be as optimistic as Bonnie, but it didn't seem possible. Not only did she need to explain to the Lockwoods that it was her family that cursed them, she needed to be able to reverse the spell to make it right. She had no idea how she was going to do it or even if she really wanted to. The spell itself was in the ancient language of the druids, so it would be difficult enough without adding her doubt. On top of it, she was missing an important piece of the spell, a blue moonstone that had been used to put the curse in place.

That night she slept restlessly and awoke the next morning feeling like she hadn't slept. Her guilt had been weighing heavily on her since she had spoken to Bonnie. She only knew of one solution to her problem. Talk to the Lockwoods.

She had a quick bite to eat and headed out to the Lockwood Mansion. She was nervous the entire way there and her heart raced faster the closer she got to her destination. She took a few deep breaths in and out as she stood at the door, waiting for someone to answer.

Tyler answered the door, looking at her strangely.

"I need to talk with you and your father, Tyler," she said. Her heart was beating wildly as she spoke, making it difficult to speak the words clearly.

"Uh, okay," he said, beckoning for her to follow him.

Vella followed him down the long hallway, just as she had done only two weeks before. Only this time she knew she wouldn't find John there. At least she hoped so. Her heart was still beating quickly, even though she tried as hard as she could to quiet it. She knew no one else could hear it, but in her own ears it was pounding away like a bongo drum.

Tyler opened the door to his father's office, holding the door open for her to walk through. Once she did, he followed behind and closed the door.

"Vella," Richard Lockwood greeted her. "This is a surprise."

Vella greeted him and then went on to explain her revelations. She was so nervous she had been blurting everything out, almost without taking a breath. When she finally stopped talking, she watched their reaction, hoping she had done the right thing by telling them. Richard seemed to be confused and Tyler seemed to be upset. She wasn't really surprised by either reaction.

"I don't understand something, Vella," Richard stated. "When Tyler was little, my wife and I brought him to your mother to try and reverse the curse. Why wouldn't she have done it then?"

She shook her head, not really sure of the answer. All she had were guesses. They would have to be good enough.

"I'm not sure my mother could read the Druid language, Richard. If I hadn't found a way to translate, I wouldn't have any idea either."

The answer seemed to please him for the moment.

"Are you going to break the curse on me, Vella?" Tyler blurted out.

She gave him an apologetic look. "I don't think I can, Tyler. I'm not that strong."

Tyler approached her, staring into her eyes. She felt very uncomfortable, so she backed up a step, but he closed the gap again.

"You're the strongest person I know. I know if anyone can do it, you could."

Nervously, she broke his gaze and turned around, with her head down. "I wish I had your confidence, but I know my limits."

"You aren't even going to try?"

She raised her head and turned around, looking at Richard first, then settling on Tyler. "You don't understand, Ty. I could kill you. Of course it's more likely I would kill myself attempting it."

Everyone in the room became silent, except for the sound of shifting feet. No one really knew what to say, least of all Vella.

"I understand," Richard finally said, breaking the silence. "Thank you for at least telling us."

Vella nodded, smiling weakly.

"I have one more question," Tyler said.

"Sure."

"Why did your family curse mine?"

It was the question she was hoping she wouldn't have to answer. She glanced at him with her mouth open slightly.

"I'm not sure exactly. All I know is your family tried to erradicate the area of witches. My ancestor cast the spell to make your family suffer for their atrocities." She paused for a moment, looking at her hands nervously, then looked back up again. "I'm going to try and make this right. I just can't promise to do it now."

"I understand," Richard said.

"I will let you know if and when I'm ready to try the spell. It has to be done during a full moon."

"The next one is only a week and a half away," Tyler piped up.

"That's enough, Tyler," his father scolded.

She shook her head. "No, it's okay. I understand, Richard." She smiled supportively at Tyler. "I swear I will do what I can. If anyone understands what being cursed is all about..."

She stopped herself midsentence, feeling the developing tears in her eyes. This was not the time she wanted to get upset.

"There is something else though," she said facing the mayor. "Do you happen to own a blue mooonstone amulet?"

He looked at her strangely for a moment, thinking. Realization showed in his eyes a few moments later. He turned around and walked to the wall behind him, moving aside a picture frame, revealing a safe in the wall behind it. He twisted the wheel of the safe, opening it easily and pulled out a large, old looking wooden box.

"My family has passed this down to the oldest son for generations," he said, handing Vella the box. "I hope this is what you're looking for."

Vella took the box, holding it delicately. She opened the box slowly, revealing a long gold chain, with a blue moonstone pendant hanging from it. She held the chain in her left hand, dangling the pendant. She reached out to touch the stone with her right hand, but flinched as she touched it.

"This is it," she said quietly. "Blue moonstones are the rarest color of moonstone, making them the most powerful."

"Will that undo the spell?"

She looked at Tyler, then back to Richard. "To be honest. This will help very much. This is the exact stone that was used to curse your family. I knew by looking at it. My ancestor described it exactly like this. This changes everything."

Tyler looked at her hopeful, but his father was more reserved.

She looked at Tyler and smiled with much less reserve than before. "I will call you in a couple days and let you know if I can attempt it this full moon or not."

Tyler nodded, trying to hold back his enthusiasm, but it showed in his eyes.

Vella said her goodbyes and left the mansion. She headed home to have a nap, now that she had gotten rid of the guilt she had been feeling. Once home, she fell asleep almost instantly.

**A/N: Well I try not to use too much for the TV show, but I did with the moonstone. I did look them up and chose blue since it is the rarest kind and obviously the one in the show isn't blue. It just seemed like the only stone that fit the situation.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	70. Chapter 70

Chapter 70 ~ Curses

Vella opened her eyes suddenly, feeling uneasy. She had been in a dead sleep when she woke up, startled. She scanned the room quickly, looking confused. It was dark in the room now. She knew it must be night. It had been late afternoon when she had climbed into her bed.

She looked at her clock, it said it was midnight. She was about to throw her covers back, when she saw movement at the corner of her eye. She turned to gaze in that direction What she saw startled her. The ghostly figure of her dead mother.

"Hello, Vella," the apparition greeted her.

"Mom!" she exclaimed with tears in her eyes.

Vivian looked at her daughter with sorrow in her eyes. "I'm sorry you're suffering. If I could make it better I would."

"Why are you here, Mom?"

"I know you have many questions, but I have little time."

"But mom..."

"I know you have questions about your father, but I don't have time to answer those now. Just know that he loved you very much. More than life."

Silent tears began falling down Vella's face much more quickly. She barely noticed them, wiping them with the back of her hand absentmindedly.

"I'm very proud of you for wanting to break the curse put upon the Lockwoods. But you musn't attempt it. Not now."

"Why not?"

"You're not prepared for this. Maybe in a few years, but you aren't right now."

"How do you know?"

She smiled at her daughter. "I attempted the spell once, but you already know that. I knew what I was doing and it still didn't work."

"But I can read it. Understand it."

"Dear, Vella. I didn't understand it, but I didn't have to. I knew how to say the words, it was all that mattered. But what I didn't know then was what you need to know now."

She looked at her mother in surprise, but didn't say anything.

"This spell can either go one way or another." Vella looked at her with confusion. "You might end up lifting the curse, but more than likely, you will end up breaking only part of the curse."

"Part of the curse? I don't understand"

"I know, honey. And I don't have much more time. But you have to understand this. If you mix up the order of the spell, you could end up breaking the part of the curse that limits the werewolf."

"What do you mean?"

"Tyler could end up being able to transform anytime, not just during the full moon. Whenever he wanted to. Or any time his rage got out of control."

"What?"

"Yes, Vella. If the spell is not done correctly, it could happen. But honestly, that's the best case scenario. You already know the alternative. You could end up killing yourself or both of you."

"But mama..."

"I'm begging you, Vella. Please don't do this. It's the only reason I'm here. To stop you from doing something so foolish."

Vella really wanted to promise her mother, but she just couldn't. This was something she felt that she had to do.

"You won't promise me, will you?" her mother asked desperately.

She looked at her mom apologetically. "I can't promise you that."

Her mother looked disappointed for a moment, then smiled at her. "I thought as much, but I had to try. You're so much like your father."

Vella smiled but thinking about her father made her feel sorrow deep down in the pit of her stomach.

"Could you at least promise to be careful? The spell is very intricate and if it's interrupted...well it could be bad for both you and Tyler."

She smiled at her mother. "Of course I can promise that."

Vivian looked at her daughter proudly. She wanted so badly to be able to reach out and hold her, but she couldn't, not in this life.

"I love you, Mom," Vella said, tears falling faster down her face.

"I love you too, Vella. So does your father and sister. I wish they could be here to see you."

"Why can't they? I don't understand why you can visit me and they can't."

She looked at her daughter sorrowfully. "I'm a witch, sweetie. I can't really explain much more than that."

"I miss you, Mom. And Dad and Violet too."

"I know you do. But we are at peace now. Just live your life the best way you can...and be happy."

"I will."

"I promise, one day you will be happy again," she said, smiling at her daughter.

"You have to go now, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. But I promise, I am around you. Even when you don't see me."

Vella smiled at her mother, fresh tears flowing down her face. She watched as her mother waved goodbye, fading slowly, until she was gone completely.

It was late and she still needed sleep, but she was wide awake now. She made herself some tea and turned the TV on, but she wasn't really watching. She was mulling her mother's warning around in her head, hoping to come up with a solution to the problems she might encounter. She couldn't think of anything and the effort made her sleepy. She decided to cuddle up with the blanket she had thrown over the couch, falling asleep almost immediately.

Vella woke up in the morning, shortly after the sun had risen. She yawned and stretched, but stayed under her blanket. She had forgotten to turn the TV off before she had fallen asleep, so it was still on. She watched the morning show that was on for a little while just being lazy. So much had happened to her in the past couple days and she just wanted to lay on the couch and relax.

She laid on the couch for about an hour, before she got up to use the bathroom, make some coffee and something to eat. After eating, she sat on the couch with her coffee and flipped through channels on the TV. She found an old movie playing and left it there. She was only half paying attention to it when her phone rang, it was Bonnie.

After a very brief conversation, they decided to meet. Vella still didn't feel like going out, so Bonnie agreed to come to her house. She wasn't sure why Bonnie wanted to see her, but she was positive it was about the Lockwood curse. She really regretted finding out about any of it.

It was only about an hour before Bonnie showed up, but she wasn't alone. She had brought Elena.

Vella cringed inside, but she pushed it out of her head. She knew she didn't have the time to think about Damon right now. She wanted to kick herself for thinking about him just by seeing Elena, but she knew why. Elena was always over at the house with Stefan. The same house she also shared with Damon. Most of all, she was worried. If she broke down in front of Elena it might get back to Damon. She couldn't have that. As hard as it was, as much as her heart was breaking, this separation was for the best and she couldn't let Damon know otherwise.

"We really need to talk," Bonnie said with concern.

"Is this about the Lockwood curse?" Vella asked confused.

"Yes. That's exactly what it's about."

"I talked to the Lockwoods about it already, Bonnie."

"You did?" she asked with surprise.

"Yup. Yesterday."

"Oh."

Vella looked at Elena. She really wanted to know why she had come with Bonnie, but she was trying to think of a nice way to ask. She knew she wasn't always the most tactful person.

"If you don't mind me asking. Why did you come along, Elena?"

Elena smiled at her, but it wasn't a warm smile. She looked like she was going to lie to her or tell her something she didn't want to hear.

"Bonnie asked me to come."

She turned to Bonnie, looking confused. "What's going on?"

Bonnie sighed. "I'm sorry, Vella. I was talking to Elena about all of this when Stefan overheard."

"Oh, so you're a spy, Elena?" Vella asked sarcastically, putting her hands on her hips.

"Nothing like that, Vella. You don't have to be so paranoid."

"Excuse me?"

Bonnie stepped between the two of them, looking at Vella. "It's not what you think. Will you please let me explain?"

Vella stared at her for a moment, trying to assess the situation. She was on the defensive now and she didn't like it."

"Fine," she said shortly, sitting down on the couch.

Bonnie sat beside her, while Elena preferred to stand.

"I was thinking about all that I read and I'm worried. Did you understand all that it meant?"

Vella rolled her eyes and sighed impatiently. "I did actually. And if this is concern for my safety, you can save it. My mother visited me in the middle of the night to warn me."

"Oh," Bonnie said with surprise. "So, she explained what could happen if the spell goes wrong?"

"Yes," she replied with no hesitation. "I know all about it. I also know there are two possible outcomes."

"That's what I came here to talk to you about."

"Let me guess. Stefan has a bug up his ass about Tyler being able to transform into a wolf anytime he chooses?"

Bonnie laughed, but it wasn't humorous. "You got half of it right. It's Damon that's worried."

"Well isn't that sweet," she replied with heavy sarcasm. "Always worried about himself."

"Now that's not fair, Vella," Elena said harshly. "Damon always treated you well."

Vella knew she was right, but the sting of hearing his name had hurt and the easiest way for her to deal with it was to lash out. She chose to ignore Elena's outburst.

"If I choose to even attempt the spell, I won't fail. My mother made sure I knew what I was doing."

Bonnie looked at her with disbelief. "Did she tell you you're not ready for this? This spell is as advanced as they come."

"Thanks for the confidence boost, Bonnie," she replied with sarcasm.

"Why are you being so difficult about this?"

"I'm tired of everyone thinking I'm incapable of taking care of myself. I'm a grown woman and people treat me like I'm a child. You know I'm really tired of it."

"That is not what we're doing and you know it!"

"Don't tell me what I know or don't know. If I choose to try the spell, then that's my prerogative. Besides, it's still almost two weeks away."

"You're not ready for this."

"Are you, Bonnie?"

"No, I'm not. At least I can admit this is way beyond what I know I'm capable of."

That was as much as she could take right now. If she stood here arguing any longer, she knew it would get nasty. She wasn't in a reasonable mood.

"I don't want to discuss this anymore. Can you both please leave?"

"Vella?" Bonnie cried.

"No. I'm not in the best mood right now. It's best if we talk later."

Bonnie opened her mouth to say something, but she promptly closed it. She nodded to Elena and stood up. She was about to walk to the door, when she turned to Vella instead.

"I'm sorry, Vella. I shouldn't have pushed."

"It's okay, Bonnie, really. I've just got a lot of things going on right now."

"I understand."

Bonnie and Elena said their goodbyes and left the house. Vella watched until their car drove away, then slumped on to her couch and began to mindlessly flip through the channels on the TV. She knew the moment she stopped, she would break down. But she couldn't fight it. She let the tears fall, curling up on the couch with her pillow.

She cried for quiet a while, until her eyes were so sore that she couldn't make anymore tears. Her crying session had made her feel tired, even though it was only early afternoon. But she realized she had nowhere to go and nothing to do, so she stayed on the couch feeling sorry for herself.

Vella had been lying on her couch for a long while, when her phone rang. She didn't want to get up, but she did, almost dragging herself off the couch. She looked at who was calling, cringing when she saw the name; Jenna Sommers. She thought twice about answering, but she did. She figured she would bite the bullet now, instead of delaying it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Vella," Jenna said. "I was hoping we could meet tomorrow if you're not busy."

"Uh, sure," she answered with apprehension.

"Can you meet me at the Grill about sevenish?"

"Of course."

"Okay, great. See ya tomorrow."

Now Vella was really curious. Jenna had seemed pleasant on the phone, not to mention they were going to meet in a public place, so what did she want? Now she was going to have to wait until tomorrow night to find out. It was going to be a long day.

The rest of the day and night was uneventful. She spent most of her time watching TV or cleaning. She slept fine that night, but only because her eyes were so sore from crying. She was still anxious, but the exhaustion won over her anxiety, this time.

The next day, Vella killed time until the evening. Most of the time was spent reading her grandmother's grimoire, studying it. She had made up her mind to go ahead with the spell on the next full moon, no matter what anyone had to say about it.

She grabbed the book, she had borrowed from Alaric, as she headed out the door to meet Jenna. She was done with it and she knew it would be easier to give it to Jenna, then to face Alaric. Even though she was painfully aware she would have to face him eventually. She just couldn't do it now.

As she parked her car at the Grill, she felt a cold chill run down her back. She glanced around quickly, but didn't notice anyone or anything suspicious. She decided it was just her paranoia and walked quickly to the door of the establishment. She walked in and looked around for Jenna, but didn't see her. She asked the bartender, who hadn't seen her either. So she decided to sit at a table and wait.

After ordering a drink for herself, she took her phone out of her pocket. She was going to find something to do while she was waiting, but it wasn't necessary. Not when Alaric sat down at the table across from her.

"Hey, Vella," he greeted her awkwardly.

"Uh, hey, Rick," she replied just as awkwardly.

"John told me he knows what happened. He's going to keep his mouth shut for now."

"Really? How did you manage that?"

He laughed wickedly. "Don't worry about it. I just wanted to apologize again."

"Forget it. It was something stupid. I'm over it if you are."

"Definitely."

"Then let's not mention it ever again."

He nodded in agreement.

She smiled at him, reaching under the table. She pulled out a plastic bag holding a book and handed it to him.

"Here's the book. You don't know how much I appreciate what you did for me."

"Don't mention it," he said and winked.

Vella felt uncomfortable again. She took her eyes away from Alaric, but slowly. She was lucky that Jenna walked in at that moment and sat down beside him.

"Thanks for coming, Vella," Jenna said with a smile. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, Jenna. What about you?"

"I'm great, thanks," she replied with a smile. "Now I know you're curious why I wanted to see you." Vella nodded. "An old friend of mine in University is throwing me a..." she glanced over at Alaric real quick. "Wedding party of sorts. Just ladies. Of course I want you to come."

Vella felt herself relax a little. "But why couldn't you tell me over the phone or invite me over?"

"In one word, John. I didn't want him to overhear and I know you didn't want to see him."

"Oh," she said with relief.

"So are you going to come?" Jenna asked excitedly.

"When is it?"

"It's not this Saturday, it's the next one."

Vella looked pensively, thinking to herself. She knew that day was familiar but she couldn't quiet think of why. But then it hit her. That was the night of the full moon.

"I'm sorry, Jenna. It's the only night I have plans already."

"You're kidding?"

"I wish I was."

"Can you change your plans?"

Vella laughed to herself. If only she could change the phases of the moon. "No. I really can't. I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry too," she replied with disappointment. "I really think you need to have some fun for a change."

She laughed. "You're probably right. Sometimes I feel like I'm in a drama or something."

Both ladies giggled, then Jenna excused herself from the table for a moment.

"What plans do you have already, Vella?" Alaric asked.

"Nothing."

"So you just blew her off?"

"No," she answered indignantly. "I wouldn't do that."

"Well good. I didn't want to think it was my fault."

She smirked. "Sometimes I think your ego is so big I'm surprised you can carry it with you."

The look he returned showed he was not amused.

"You're hiding something."

"It's nothing. Seriously. Just leave it alone."

"I know about the information you found in your grandmother's book."

How did he know?

"In fact, everyone in our little circle knows about it."

"Oh. You mean the circle I'm not apart of any longer?" she answered with hurt.

"Let's not start that, Vella. All of this is bigger than just you and your pain."

She glared at him with contempt, even though she ached to slap him. "This conversation is over."

She stood up from the table, turned, then turned back. "Tell Jenna I'm sorry but I didn't feel well." She turned quickly, not waiting for a reply, then walked out the side door of The Grill, into the alley.

**A/N: I know it's a bit short but I wanted to end it that way. Promise the next chapter will be good.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	71. Chapter 71

Chapter 71 ~ Reversing a Curse

Vella had walked out the side door of The Grill, right into the alley. It was pitch dark. Barely any of the street lights penetrated this far back into the alley. She felt a chill run through her again, then a wave of panic. She walked quickly towards the street, but suddenly there was a dark figure in front of her barring her way.

"Damon!" she yelled with fright, jumping back slightly.

"Hello, Vella," he said quietly, his eyes filled with despair. "I didn't mean to startle you."

It was going to be painful for both of them, but she knew she needed to push him away as fast as she could.

"What do you want?" she asked impatiently, putting her hands on her hips.

"You should already know."

"Of course, the Lockwood curse."

"Exactly. I don't want you to attempt that spell."

She could see the obvious concern in his eyes. It was making it very difficult to push him away. She just wanted to run into his arms so he could hold her, but she knew how it would turn out.

"Why not? Because you're so concerned about your safety?"

"How could you ask me that?"

"Because I know you."

"I'm worried about you. Can't you see that?"

She looked into his eyes, not being able to pull away from his gaze. She could see the honesty and sincerity in those stunning deep blue eyes and it was making her heart melt. What she had to do next would break her heart, but she knew it was the only way.

"I didn't think you would want to talk to me anymore after what happened with Alaric."

She saw the hurt in his eyes and it hurt her deep down, but she kept telling herself this was for the best.

"We're not together anymore, Vella. Who you're with is none of my business."

"Then why are you so concerned about my safety?"

"Do you think I'm some heartless monster? I will always love you, whether we can be together or not. I'm not about to stop worrying about you."

She tore her eyes from his gaze that moment, unable to keep looking into his eyes without tears developing. Her chest was aching and it felt like she couldn't catch her breath. She turned slightly when he approached her, standing so close beside her she could feel his breath.

"Just do me this one favor. Please be careful," he whispered gently.

She felt a breeze right after he finished speaking and she knew he was gone. She was afraid to turn around and look, but it was the only way out of the alley without going back into the restaurant. She turned and ran quickly to her car, fumbling with her keys and dropping them twice before managing to open the door and jumping in, nearly slamming the door on her foot.

She sat in the car with her head on her steering wheel for a few minutes, crying. She was glad it was dark out, no one could really see her where she was parked. When she was finally able to control herself, she drove home.

Vella was a wreck by the time she made it home. Her eyes were so sore, her nose stuffed and her head hurt. She made herself some tea, had a long warm bath and got in her comfiest pajamas.

She climbed into bed, worried she wouldn't be able to sleep with the images of Damon running through her mind. But she had cried enough, sleep came almost immediately as soon as she closed her eyes.

The next few days went by slowly for Vella. She mostly stayed at home, studying her grandmother's grimoire. She intended on breaking the curse no matter what. Other than her short visit to see Tyler, she stayed in the cabin where no one could bother her.

Her phone would ring once in a while from concerned friends, but she didn't want to talk to anyone about anything. The only call she took was from Mara. That call was fine until she mentioned how everyone was worried about her, then she cut the call short. She loved Mara like a sister, which is why she couldn't talk about it with her.

She couldn't shake the ominous feeling that had overcome her since her meeting with Damon in the alley beside The Grill. She wasn't sure why, but it reminded her of when they had first met. She had been expecting to die. She was almost prepared for it. She knew this time it was a possibility, but she wasn't planning on it. She was going to prove everyone wrong. She was strong enough to perform this spell, she was going to make sure of it.

Her doubts only surfaced when Tyler began doubting her readiness. He wasn't afraid but apprehensive, at least that's what he was telling Vella. But that was all it took to plant doubt firmly in her mind. And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake the nagging feeling something unexpected was going to happen. The only thing she could do was try to be prepared for anything. So that's what she did, almost to the exclusion of everything else.

After avoiding everyone for days, Vella finally had to go into town for some groceries. She went as early in the morning as she possibly could to avoid anyone she knew. Other than a few people she only knew in passing, she made it out of the grocery store without incident.

As she was walked back to her car, she noticed someone was standing between her car and the one beside hers. She walked slowly, hoping whoever it was would move, but they didn't. She shook her head in irritation and continued walking to the back of her car, opened the trunk and began putting her groceries into the trunk. She had gotten two of the bags in the car, when the person who had been beside her car walked behind her and laid a hand on her shoulder.

Vella jumped and turned around quickly to see who it was. She was shocked to see Jeremy standing there.

"Jer?" she said breathlessly.

Jeremy backed up, grinning slightly. "I'm sorry for startling you, Vella."

"Why are you here?"

"I had to talk to you, but I couldn't do it over the phone."

"Oh, okay. Wait, what? How did you know where I was?"

"A lucky guess."

She raised her eyebrow impatiently.

"Fine. Don't tell anyone though." Vella nodded in agreement. "I used the GPS tracker from your phone."

"How did you do that? Wait, nevermind. I don't wanna know."

He grinned at her, then looked more serious. "To make a long story short, this thing that you're planning to do on the full moon, you need to change where you're doing it."

"Wait? How do you even know about that, Jeremy?" she asked with surprise.

"Everyone knows about it, even Uncle John."

"Dammit! How did he find out about it?" she asked.

"I don't know, but I think you better postpone this until next month."

She snorted, looking at him with suspicion. "That's what this is about, isn't it? Now Damon and the rest of them are using you to get to me."

"No!" he exclaimed. "I did this on my own."

"Somehow I don't believe you."

"Fine. Don't believe me. Just heed my warning, Vella."

She studied Jeremy's face for a moment, then felt guilt bubble up inside. She knew he was being entirely truthful, but her paranoia had become out of control.

"I'm sorry, Jer," she said apologetically. "Thank you."

He nodded his head and turned to walk away, but then turned back to her and walked closer.

"You may not believe this, but everyone is worried about you," he said seriously.

Jeremy walked even closer and wrapped his arms around her in an embrace. Vella was caught off guard, but she returned the hug somewhat awkwardly.

"Be safe," he said, breaking the embrace and walked away.

Vella stood there in disbelief for a moment, before returning to putting her groceries away. The walls she had built up in the past couple weeks had come down for a short time and now she felt disoriented. Her mind began going through several scenarios, all of which were frightening.

Once she finished with the groceries, she got into her car and drove home. She couldn't shake all the doubt and fear that was now running through her mind. So much so, she almost got into an accident from being so distracted. She made it home in one piece though, despite her nagging worries.

After putting her groceries away, she made something quick to eat and sat on the couch reading again. When her phone rang, she ignored it. She did the same the second and thrid time as well. But on the fourth call, she got up and grabbed her phone and looked at the caller ID; it was Tyler.

"This isn't a good time, Tyler."

"This is important, Vella."

"What is it?" she asked shortly.

"Matt's been following me around. I think he's spying on me."

"Dammit. Ok, listen. I'm changing the location where we're meeting tomorrow night. With everyone spying on us I can't take any chances. And well it's a little predictable."

"What do you mean?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, well, I have a history of going to the cemetery when I'm upset or just need alone time. I'm sure Damon would have thought of that. I didn't even think about it before, but Jeremy stopped by to see me and..."

"And what?"

"He was warning me. Look, nevermind that. We need a new place and it has to be secluded."

"We could go to the falls?" Tyler suggested. "Or maybe the old Lockwood property?"

"You know what? The old Lockwood property seems like a great place to do it. Like everything has come full circle."

"How about we meet at the end of the road by the property and we can walk from there?"

"Perfect, Ty. I will see you tomorrow night around eight."

"See ya then."

Vella closed her phone and sat back on the couch. She was feeling a bit more optimistic about everything now. She picked up the spell book and began to read again. She was bound and determined to get the spell right. She just made a mental note to pick up a few things she would need. And she hoped Tyler would remember the moonstone.

Vella had a difficult time sleeping that night. She kept going over things in her head, even when she tried not to think about anything at all. She eventually slept, but not for long and not very soundly.

When she finally gave up on sleep, she decided to make a hearty breakfast. She knew she was going to need her strength. And after she was finished with her breakfast, she got dressed and read the spell book once again.

She killed time cleaning up, then began to round up everything she would need to bring with her; water, a knife and a bucket she was going to fill with sand from the beach. She filled the bucket up after everything was ready. It was quiet on the beach, which she was grateful for. She didn't want to have to explain why she was digging up sand from the beach.

When she got back to the cabin, she packed everything into the car, except the grimoire. She wasn't going to let it out of her sight for even a moment. Then she killed time around the house again for a few hours, until dinner time. After eating dinner, which she only nibbled at, she took out the spell book again to read it one last time. Afterwards, she got in the car and drove around for a while.

She drove through the back streets and country roads, in hopes that if someone was following her, they wouldn't know where her destination was. She figured they would just be waiting in the cemetery for her, since that's what they were expecting, but she wasn't taking any chances.

She arrived at her destination shortly before eight. Tyler was nowhere in sight yet, but she hadn't been expecting him to be exactly on time. The sun was only beginning it's descent below the horizon, they still had plenty of time.

Tyler showed up about fifteen minutes later. With only a hushed greeting, they unloaded Vella's car, then walked into the woods in search of the perfect spot for the spell.

It seemed like a long time, but it only took about fifteen minutes for Vella to find something suitable. It was a large clearing in the woods that was almost circular. But best of all was, the moon could be seen quite well from their vantage point.

"Well, this is it," Tyler said nervously.

Vella smiled encouragingly, with the hope her fear and apprehension weren't showing in her eyes.

"So, what do I have to do?"

"Not much, Tyler. Just stand right here...or you can sit. I don't think that matters much," she answered, pointing to a spot near the middle of the clearing. "I will do the rest."

"Here's the moonstone," he said, handing it to her. She took it from him gladly, tucking it into her pocket for a moment.

Taking the bucket of sand, Vella walked around the clearing pouring it on the ground to make a large circle. She threw the bucket aside when it was empty, then grabbed a bottle of water. She took the bottle, pouring out the water slowly, she followed the same path as the sand, stopping once she had made the whole trip around.

Tyler was standing near the middle of the circle observing her with interest. "Do I need to do anything else?"

"Yes. No matter what happens, stay inside the circle until the spell is complete," she replied, pulling a knife from her pocket.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed as he saw the knife.

"Tyler, will you relax please," she said, slightly amused.

"Not until you tell me what the knife is for?"

Vella chuckled, then looked at him seriously. "It's just part of the spell. I need to spill my blood."

He nodded then sat down on the ground cross-legged to wait.

Vella took the knife and cut the palm of her left hand. She walked to the circle of sand and water and let a few drops of blood fall onto it, then walked over it, so she was standing just inside the circle. She then took the moonstone and placed it into her bloody left hand. Looking at the moon, which was just beginning to crest over the horizon, she began chanting the spell.

Tyler was still sitting cross-legged just watching and waiting. He was watching the moon rise, hoping this would be the last time he would ever have to worry about it. He began to feel the familiar pain pulling at him from deep within. He had to grit his teeth and ball his hands into fists just to deal with it.

He tried to focus on Vella, instead of the moon, but it didn't help all that much. She was still chanting, though he noticed her face seemed to show she was in pain. He wanted to help her, but he didn't dare move.

The moon was more than halfway risen, when he noticed he was beginning to change, although much slower than usual. He looked at the back of his hands and noticed there was fur growing there. He was worried that he was going to change and wanted to let Vella know, but he knew he shouldn't interrupt her. He stared at her, hoping she would notice, but she didn't. She was too focused on the spell to notice anything, even the blood that had begun to slowly trickle from her nose.

Tyler watched and waited, each second more painful than the last. He had never been very patient and the suspense, coupled with the pain, was almost too much to bare. All he could do was watch as the moon kept steadily rising and Vella chanted strange words, her voice sometimes seeming to falter. She looked like she was tired and in pain, but she didn't stop chanting, even for a second.

His fear began to fade as the moon was at it's highest point in the sky and he hadn't changed into a werewolf. The pain had become mild and the hair that had begun to sprout on his hands and arms, seemed to be receding. But he knew it wasn't over yet, Vella was till chanting.

Vella kept on chanting as she watched the path of the moon. She was so exhausted, but she knew she had to hang on just a little while longer. But the more tired she became, the harder it was for her to concentrate.

Tyler noticed some movement off to the left of Vella. He was afraid to alert her to it, in case she messed up the spell. He also didn't want to move, in case it distracted her. He watched as it came closer, stopping not far behind Vella.

"Hello, Tyler," the figure said as it walked closer into the moonlight.

"John!" he exclaimed."What are you doing here?"

"I've come to stop this," he replied with a sneer.

"It's too late."

John snorted. "Unfortunately for you, it's not."

"What do you have to gain by this, John?" Tyler asked, hoping to stall him for as long as he could.

"I have my reasons. That's all you need to know."

"But why?"

John laughed derisively and walked towards the sand circle.

"Don't you dare walk past that circle, John!"

He laughed again, only this time he was amused. "Do you think I would be foolish enough to walk past it myself."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

John turned to his left and looked out into the darkness. As if by cue, a tall, dark haired man stepped out from the shadows to stand beside him.

"My friend here, Jack, has eternal life. He's the one who's going to attempt it for me."

Tyler stood up, trying to look very menacing. The vampire stared back at him with a look of wild eyed amusement.

"It's a shame you became involved in this, Tyler. It didn't have to be this way," John said as he turned his back and began to walk away.

That was the sign the vampire had been waiting for. He ran towards the circle, stopping just outside of it. He gave Tyler a teasing look, then walked over it. Vella collapsed to the ground in a heap, almost instantly. The vampire continued towards her, but Tyler had already been running in that direction and he got to her before she could fully hit the ground, catching her in his arms.

The vampire stopped dead in his tracks, looking frightened. It was then Tyler noticed the pain radiating through him like a fire. He was transforming.

"You better run blood sucker! Once I transform I'm going after you!" he yelled threateningly.

The vampire seemed to think for a moment, then ran off into the darkness of the forest.

Tyler relaxed for a second, taking a deep breath. His mind was already becoming foggy and he needed to think. But what was he trying to remember? It came to him then.

He grabbed his phone out of his pocket and looked through his callers list. He chose the one person, who's number he had, who could help; Stefan.

"Stefan," he yelled as he heard the phone being answered. "You need to come to the old Lockwood property now."

"Tyler, is that you?"

Tyler wanted to yell at him for not recognizing him, but his voice was changing along with the rest of his body. He knew soon he wouldn't even be able to talk.

"Just get here now! Vella is hurt. No time to explain."

"What happened, Tyler?"

Tyler tried to answer but he couldn't. His body was changing way too quickly. He was in excrutiating pain. Nothing had even come close to this pain in comparison, except for the first time.

The phone dropped to the ground as Tyler fell over, writhing in agony. It took a very short time for him to transform, only seconds as opposed to many minutes. But once it was over, he was able to think much more clearly.

The werewolf sniffed at Vella, emitting a low pitched whine, which turned into a very high pitched howl. He couldn't help her. Instead he took off towards the direction the vampire went in.

**A/N: I already knew how this chapter was going to go, but had a difficult time writing it. Not sure why. Hopefully the next one will come easier. I know how most of it's going to turn out, but still undecided on something. Hopefully it won't take me as long to update next time.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	72. Chapter 72

Chapter 72 ~ Consequences

Stefan was holding his phone to his ear with panic running through him. Tyler had been talking to him, but suddenly all he could hear was a scream of pain, then some howling. He had told him Vella was in trouble, but he didn't know what kind of trouble. He could only assume it had to do with breaking the Lockwood curse.

He had been searching for Vella with Damon, but right now he didn't know where his brother was. He decided to head to the old Lockwood property without him. Hopefully he would catch up with him soon.

Stefan searched for what seemed like an eternity to him, but it was only a few minutes, before he found Vella laying on the ground in the middle of a clearing. He searched for a pulse, only finding a very weak one and her breathing was labored. Fear was shooting through him making it more difficult to think. He wanted to call his brother, but there wasn't time.

He wasn't thinking clearly, or he would have thought twice. He bit his wrist and forced some of his blood down Vella's throat. He wasn't thinking of the consequences at the moment, that would come later. All he could think about was making sure Vella wouldn't die.

He cleaned Vella's face gently, then picked her up in his arms, cradling her carefully. He stopped to listen to her breathing for a few moments, which now sounded a little healthier, before running off towards the hospital.

It only took him a few minutes to arrive there and get her into the emergency room. Now all he had to do was wait. He stayed in the waiting room, pacing back and forth. He wished he could have told the doctors what had happened to her, but even he had no idea. He knew why, but he definitely couldn't tell them.

Stefan went outside to call his brother again, hoping this time he would answer. He didn't answer once again, but he left a message. He could only hope Damon would receive it in time. He called Elena and Bonnie too. He knew they would want to know. Then he called Alaric. He didn't think it would be a great idea to call him, but he knew Jenna was at a party tonight and she would want to know.

He went back into the waiting room after the calls, though he would have rather stayed outside. The smells inside were making him feel on edge and irritable. It wasn't helping with his fear and worry for Vella either, but he was able to control himself until Elena and Bonnie showed up.

Elena sat with Stefan, her arm around him. She knew he was upset and she was doing her best to keep him calm. But with no news on Vella's condition, each second seemed more like an eternity to him.

Bonnie finally got a hold of Damon, who showed up at the hospital almost immediately after the call. He couldn't decide between sitting, standing and pacing back and forth, while he was waiting to hear something. He even tried compelling a nurse to find out what was going on, but she didn't know anything.

"I am going to kill that mongrel when I get my hands on him!" Damon announced angrily.

Stefan stood up, approaching him from behind and put his arm on his brother's back in support. "I don't think it was his fault, Damon."

Damon turned around and glared at his brother. "You don't know that!"

"You're right. And until we can ask Vella, or until the moon goes down, we aren't going to know. There's no reason for you to get so worked up about it. It's just going to make you crazy."

Damon glared at his brother. "I'm already crazy, brother," he uttered in hushed tones. "I've done everything I could to protect her and now she might die. Just because she had to save that Lockwood punk."

"Damon," Stefan said, laying his hand on his brother's shoulder. "You can't worry about that now. We need to think about Vella. Everything else can be dealt with later."

Damon looked over at Elena who returned his look with quiet agreement. He turned back to his brother, narrowing his eyes. "You're right, but this is not over."

Stefan opened his mouth to say something more, but then the doctor walked in looking grave.

Damon turned to face the doctor. "How is she?"

"Are you her husband?" the doctor asked.

"Yes, Damon Salvatore."

"I'm Doctor Thomas," he said, shaking Damon's hand. "Your wife seems to be stable right now. When she was brought in, her organs seemed to be in failure. We gave her antibiotics in case she had an infection and she seems to be improving. That's all I can tell you right now. I'm still waiting on more blood tests."

"Can I see her?"

"She's in ICU right now, but she's being moved. Once she's settled in her own room you can see her. I will make sure the nurses know."

Damon was relieved she was okay, but he really wanted to see her now. He thought about compelling him, but he knew he should just be patient and wait.

"Thanks, Doctor." The doctor nodded and turned around, going back through the emergency room doors.

Damon turned around and looked at his brother sadly. His expression was filled with pain but also something else. He was grateful for what his brother had done.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, Stefan. But thank you for finding her and getting her here so quickly."

"There's no need to thank me, Damon."

Damon nodded and walked outside. It was still dark out, but he could see the sky beginning to lighten. He leaned against the hospital wall with his head titled back and closed his eyes. He was fighting so hard to keep himself under control, he was visibly shaking. He wanted to lash out at whatever and whoever was near. He wanted to yell and scream and most of all, he wanted to kill. He wanted to find someone and suck the life out of them. He knew it would only be a temporary fix and he would feel so much worse after he was feeling sane enough to realize what he had done. He needed to see Vella now before he completely lost it.

He was about to walk back into the hospital to demand he be able to see his wife now, when Alaric came around the building.

"What are you doing here, Rick?" Damon asked harshly.

"Stefan told me what happened. Jenna is in no condition to come but she wanted me to."

Damon was thinking about taking his anger out on Alaric. He was still livid about what had happened between him and Vella only a couple of weeks before.

"You shouldn't be here," he said, narrowing his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Damon. I know you're upset with me, but it was an accident."

"You kissed my wife by accident? With your shirt off? How does that happen? Did you trip and fall on her lips?"

"We were drunk and she was upset. I tried to comfort her and then it got out of control. It didn't mean anything."

Damon grabbed Alaric's arm roughly, looking into his eyes. He wanted to hurt him, kill him. It would make him feel better. All he could envision was Vella's look of disappointment when she found out he had brutally murdered Alaric. It was enough to snap him out of his murderous rage.

He released Alaric's arm, but not before pushing him away roughly. "Vella wouldn't want me to hurt you."

Alaric straightened out his clothes, looking at Damon apologetically. "I really am sorry. If I could take it back I would."

"Nevermind. I don't have time for this."

Damon took a sideways glance at him before walking back into the hospital. Alaric followed after him, leaving a wide distance between them.

Elena came jogging up to Damon smiling slightly. "You can go see her now."

"Where's Stefan? he asked curiously, looking around.

"He went with Bonnie up to her room already. I said I would stay to let you know."

Damon looked at her strangely. He found the whole situation odd, but he didn't have time to question it now. He followed Elena to the elevators, with Alaric behind him. He was going to object, but he thought better of it. He knew Elena had no idea about what had happened between Vella and Alaric. It would be best if she didn't know.

The three of them rode the elevators to the fifth floor. They walked to the nurse's station to find out what room Vella was occupying, then followed the nurse's directions down the hall to room 525. Bonnie was just walking out of the room as they arrived. Damon only nodded a greeting, then walked in the door.

He noticed Stefan was holding Vella's hand as he walked in, but released it as soon as he realized Damon was there. Damon was angry, but he held himself in check. All he wanted to do was sit with Vella.

Stefan got up from the chair as his brother approached and walked behind as Damon sat down. Damon took Vella's hand, leaning close to the bed. He fought back tears as he held her warm hand up to his cheek and breathed in her scent. So many feelings welled up inside him that he could only express them with silent tears.

A nurse walked into the room asking to speak to Stefan. He walked over to her by the door. She informed him visiting hours weren't officially for a few hours so he would need to wait in the waiting room. He let Damon know where he would be then left.

Damon was glad to be left alone. He hated for anyone to see him feeling so vulnerable. He laid his head against Vella lightly and closed his eyes. He was listening to Vella's body as well as the conversations in the hallways. Her body sounded like it was getting stronger by each passing moment, but he wanted to be sure. Not that he had much confidence in doctors, but they had more knowledge about the inside workings of the human body than he did.

During the next few hours that followed, Damon stayed by Vella's side, except when the nurses needed him to leave so they could check on her. He only left for a moment then, always returning the instant their examinations were complete.

Once it was time for visiting hours, Vella's room began to receive a steady influx of her friends. Damon would usually give them some space, but he never once left the room. It was difficult for him to maintain a calm demeanor, he struggled every moment, but it was necessary so he managed it.

Once visiting hours were over, Damon was asked to leave. If he had thought she was still in danger he wouldn't have left, but he could tell she was getting stronger. He would still worry while he was away from her, but he knew she was in good hands.

Vella's eyes fluttered slightly before they opened. Her eyesight was fuzzy for a moment, before clearing up. She wanted to bolt upright when she remembered what had happened, but she felt exhausted. She could hear the beep of the machines in the room, before she realized where she was. She lifted her left arm, noticing she had an IV in her wrist, then laid it back down beside her. She glanced at the clock across the room, it said it was shortly after eleven. She assumed by the darkness in the room and the quiet around the hallways that it was night.

She closed her eyes again, trying to remember everything that had happened before she woke up lying in a hospital bed. She remembered the spell had been working, Tyler hadn't transformed into a wolf as the moon rose, but something happened to change that, she just couldn't remember. She slammed her fists down on the bed beside herself in frustration.  
She began to wonder how long she had been unconscious. She knew it had been well after midnight before the spell went awry, but how long she had actually been out was a mystery. She didn't even have any idea what exactly was wrong with her body, she only knew she felt weak.

She decided to open her eyes and try to sit up, but the effort of trying to sit up on her own made her incredibly dizzy. She wanted to see her medical record that was sitting in a holder at the end of the bed, but she just wasn't strong enough. She laid back in the bed in defeat.

She was in between wake and sleep when something startled her. She opened her eyes quickly and found herself staring into a pair of dark, evil eyes. She opened her mouth to scream but a hand reached out and covered her mouth.

"Don't even try to scream or I will snap your neck," Jack said threateningly.

Vella was wide eyed and frightened. Seeing the vampire, she remembered what happened before the spell was interrupted. She was scared and angry. But she shook her head in agreement. She was not strong enough to defy him.

Jack stepped back as she shook her head, revealing another visitor.

"Good to see you're awake," John said insincerely.

"What do you want now, John?" Vella asked weakly. "Haven't you done enough?"

"On the contrary, Vella. I haven't done enough," he replied smugly.

"I don't understand what I ever did to you that would cause you to hate me so much?"

She asked it like a question, but at the moment she didn't really care. She was weak, tired and drugged up enough she couldn't even think straight. She just wanted him to leave and hoped the longer she delayed him, the better chance someone would come along and get rid of him.

John looked at her harshly for a moment, before his facade softened. "I'm sorry, Vella. You never really did much to me, other than becoming a filthy monster. This is just one of the times where the sins of the parents is revisited on the children."

Vella was confused. She couldn't understand what her parents could have done to him. There was something she was missing but her brain was too hazy to think. And why didn't Jack seem to mind he hated vampires? Why was he helping John anyways? It was all too much for her. She didn't care, she just wanted to sleep. Her head was aching, so she closed her eyes, hoping they would leave.

John patted her face gently until she opened her eyes again. "You can't go back to sleep just yet."

"Why?" she whined. "John, you got what you wanted. Tyler is still a werewolf. I'm in the hospital. Who knows when I will be strong enough to even try it again."

"You won't be trying it again...ever," he replied with a sneer. "I wish things could have been different, but I digress. Goodbye, Vella."

John nodded to Jack, walking back a few steps, while Jack picked up a pillow from the other bed in the room and approached Vella with it. He placed the pillow on Vella's face and held it down while she struggled against it. It didn't take long before she stopped moving.

"Check her pulse," John demanded.

Jack grabbed her wrist, checking for a pulse. "She's dead."

"Good, that's one last thing for me to worry about," John said as he began walking out of the room. He stopped for a moment, turning to look at Jack. "Can you compel the nurses? I don't want them to find her right away. If I had my way I would let Damon find her." He grinned with amusement. "Too bad I can't be here to enjoy that scene."

Jack chuckled, following John out of the hospital room.

**A/N: I know, short chapter but it kinda fit to leave it there. Told you I might update sooner rather than later too lol. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	73. Chapter 73

Chapter 73 ~ A New Awakening

Vella's eyes fluttered slightly, before opening widely. She bolted upright, looking around the room, half expecting someone to be there, but there was no one. She remembered where she was and why, but it took her a few minutes to remember what had happened to her last.  
At first, she didn't comprehend what had happened to her. The vampire that was with John, called Jack, had put a pillow over her face. She remembered struggling for breath, until she couldn't breathe any longer, then everything went black. But here she was, alive and well. Or was she?

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed in a hushed voice, while looking around to make sure no one heard her.

If she hadn't known what it felt like, she would have wondered what was happening to her. But she had been a vampire before and she remembered. The only question was, who gave her their blood? She knew it couldn't be Damon or she would have died.

She sat in the bed contemplating her situation for a short time. She wasn't sure if she was happy about being a vampire again, in fact she had several conflicting emotions all at once. She remembered all too well how it felt to be so emotional, but it seemed so much stronger at the moment. She knew she had to feed...but could she? Should she? She didn't have an answer, nor did she have someone to discuss it with.

It was still early in the morning. The clock on the wall read it wasn't quite four yet. She knew visiting hours were still many hours away, but could she resist the temptation until then? She didn't think so. She could smell the blood in the hospital and it was making her crazy.

She knew if she could just hold off, hoping that Elena would once again help her by allowing her to feed from her willingly, then she would be okay. She would be able to control herself afterwards. But her fear was that she wouldn't be able to hold out that long, or no one would help her this time. It was her biggest fear of all.

Watching the seconds and minutes passing by, began to get more and more uncomfortable for Vella. She could never remember a time when she felt the need to feed so desperately. She kept telling herself she had many hours before she would need to make a choice, but her need was not as rational as her mind was.

She slammed her fists on the bed in frustration, forgetting she had an IV in. She felt the tug against her wrist, then the pain. That was all it took to set her off. She ripped the IV out of her arm and threw it aside. She took off the sensor that was on her finger and threw it aside as well, then hopped out of bed.

She was surprised when she stood beside the bed and she didn't feeling the slightest bit dizzy. In fact, she felt strong. Way stronger than she should have felt after her ordeal. She was looking around the room for her clothes, when a nurse appeared at the doorway.

"What are you doing out of bed?" the nurse asked in irritation.

Vella paused, trying to control herself. She could feel the aching in her jaw. Her fangs wanted to extend, to get their first taste of life. But she couldn't allow it. She had no idea what would happen if she caved in to her thirst now.

"Come on now, back in bed," the nurse said gently, putting her arm around her.

Vella allowed the nurse to usher her back to her bed, but all the while she was fighting the temptation to feed. She climbed into the bed and let her tuck the blankets in, but she refused to allow her to put the IV back in. The nurse gave in, albeit very reluctantly, but let her know she would be back with the doctor in a couple of hours.

Vella didn't care. She had no plans to stay here. She didn't want to be here now, but she didn't want to go outside. The sun would be up soon and she had no way of protecting herself from it's rays.

She decided to lay back and try to sleep. Her mind wouldn't quit though, no matter how hard she tried to ignore it. The worst part was thinking about her hunger, but when she was able to push it out of her mind, other worries began to surface. She began to think about Tyler. She was worried what might have happened to him. And who had found her? Who had given her vampire blood? Was it Jack? Or someone else? She really wanted answers too all of her questions, but at the same time she was afraid of the answers.

She managed to stay in the bed for about twenty minutes before she got up again and went looking for her clothes. She found them under the bed in a bag. They were a little dirty from when she had been lying on the ground and there was a bit of blood on the sleeve from when she wiped her bloody nose on it, but they would be better than wearing a hospital gown.

After putting on her clothes, Vella walked softly to the door, peaking her head out while she listened. It was still early in the morning, so there weren't too many people in the halls just yet. She walked out, heading down the hallway towards the stairs. She didn't want to attempt to take the elevators.

She managed to make it to the stairway without being seen. She opened the door and listened for voices, before walking in and letting the door close. It seemed to be empty, so she walked down four flights of stairs, making it to the main floor of the hospital. It took her a second to realize the front doors weren't open, so she would have to walk through the emergency ward.

She walked out of the stairwell, heading towards the emergency room. She wished there was another way out, but without a key, there was no way to get into the basement level. As she approached the doors to the ER, she began to wobble a bit on her legs. She was tired and frustrated and she could now smell blood, blood she needed desperately.

She stopped before opening the doors and sucked in a deep breath, determined to walk through as quickly as possible without breathing. But as she opened the doors, the first thing she saw was a man with a deep gash on his arm. She swallowed hard, crossing the threshhold and letting the doors close behind her. She turned her head away and walked towards the exit doors and almost smacked right into someone walking in. She excused herself, almost running out the doors to get away from the smell of the blood that seemed to be everywhere.

Once she was outside, Vella felt a bit better. The sky was still dark, mottled with stars, but she could see the sky was lightening slightly as she looked at the horizon. She had no idea where she was going to go, but it had to be somewhere she wouldn't be found. Since she had no idea where that was, she decided to just walk the streets until she could think clearly.

She walked at a quick pace for a while, just enjoying the freedom and the quiet. But it was only enjoyable for a short time. Her overwhelming urge to feed was beginning to take over. She had to feed and she needed to now, but she had to find a place she could hide from the sun before she could even think about it. If she had been thinking straight, she would have realized she could move much faster as a vampire, but she wasn't thinking clearly. Her hunger was driving her right now and it was not rational.

Vella walked the streets for a short time before she ran into someone taking their garbage to the curb. She stalked him quietly and slowly as he walked up beside his house. Everything that happened next was a blur to her, while it was happening, but she would remember it clearly much later.

She followed the man up to his house, pretending to need help. As soon as the man turned away to open his door, she grabbed him by the hair, pulling him towards her and sunk her fangs deep into his neck. He struggled as she began to suck, but it was only seconds before the struggling became still and he fell limp to the ground, dead.

Vella stood over the man's body in disbelief at what she had done. She hadn't even thought about it beforehand, her body had practically taken over before she could even realize it or even think. Now a man was dead and she had no idea what to do about it. The immediate hunger had finally been quenched, though it would never completely leave, it was now manageable.

She took the man's body, threw it over her shoulder and ran out to the woods. She was happy to be able to go vamp speed again, human was way too slow once she had tasted the power and speed of a vampire. She found a deep trench, threw the body into it and ripped out some bushes and knocked over trees to cover the hole. She hoped no one would ever find it.

Once she was finished cleaning up her mess, she noticed the sky had lightened significantly. She realized then she needed somewhere to stay, the sooner the better. She would have liked to have gone to her cabin, but she knew she could be found there. But she had no idea where to go.

Many minutes went by while she was walking through the woods, thinking. She had never had to think about any of this before and she began to realize how lucky she had been the first time she turned, that she had Damon and to a lesser degree, Stefan, to help her. But once she made it back into town she had an idea, she would go to a motel.

She headed towards the nearest motel, which was near the edge of town. She was wondering where she was going to get money to pay, since she didn't have her purse or wallet on her, but she realized how foolish she was once she made it to the office. She just compelled the employee to give her a room, without using a name, then headed to the room to wait out the sun.

Vella walked into the dingy motel room, locking the door behind her and closing all of the curtains tightly. She looked around, seeing much more than she was used to with her new improved vision. She was tired, but at the same time exhilarated. She hadn't realize how much she missed being a vampire, feeling powerful, being quick and having better sight. The only part she could have lived without was the powerful emotions. Everything was intensified and it was the one thing she had trouble remembering how to deal with at the moment.

She went through many emotions while she sat on the uncomfortable bed. Guilt about killing the man, anger at John Gilbert, but most of all, fear about her future. She had no idea how anyone would handle her being a vampire again. Not that she really cared what anyone thought, except of course, Damon. But she worried that he wouldn't take her back after all that had happened. He was the only reason she had completed the transition from death to vampire again. She just hoped it wasn't in vain. She didn't think she could handle that.

After a long bout with her struggling emotions, she was finally able to calm herself down enough to lay down on the dingy bed and fall asleep.

**A/N: I know this is very short, but the rest of the chapter made it extra long so I thought it would be easier to split it into two chapters. I wish I had realized this sooner, I could have posted this days ago. Oh well.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	74. Chapter 74

Chapter 74 ~ A Startling Discovery

Damon woke up early in the morning. At least he pretended he had woke up, even though he hadn't really slept. He didn't want his brother to worry about him needlessly. But the truth was, how could he sleep when he just wanted to see Vella and make sure she was ok?

It didn't matter anymore that he needed to keep his distance, he had to see her. But he had promised to follow the rules, and they said visiting hours weren't until eight in the morning.

It was a little past seven as he stood out front of the house watching the sun making it's way through the morning sky. He was drinking coffee from a large mug, in desperate need of the caffeine. He was waiting as patiently as was possible, but he felt like jumping out of his skin at any moment. He was about to say to hell with the rules, when his brother walked out the front door to stand beside him.

"Morning, Damon."

"Morning."

"Did you sleep at all?" Stefan asked concerned.

Damon gave him a strange look, one that Stefan knew very well, it meant he was lying.

"Yeah, I slept."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

Damon studied his brother carefully. He wasn't sure if he was concerned, curious or maybe it was more than that. He pushed it all to the back of his mind though, it didn't matter at the moment how his brother felt. He had saved Vella's life, there was no good reason he could think of to not allow him to go.

"That's up to you, brother," he replied with as little irritation as he could.

Stefan knew his brother was irritable, but it was difficult to be sensitive to his needs. He too was worried about Vella, probably a little too concerned about her. But he had a connection with her, one that wasn't quite love, but it was deeper than friendship. He knew his brother could feel it, but he would never admit it to him if he asked. His brother had enough reasons to hate him without adding another to his list.

Stefan also knew that giving Vella his blood again had made the bond between them that much stronger and once his brother found out, he would be beyond angry. He hadn't even had time to consider the implications of his actions at the time, he only knew he had to do what he could to save her. Looking back now, he knew he would do it again.

Damon gave his brother a knowing look and took off towards the hospital. Stefan was only steps behind him, as they ran so quickly through the trees that everything would have seemed like a blur to a normal person. It only took minutes for them to reach their destination, the front door to the hospital.

"It's not quite eight, Damon," Stefan said as they stood outside the doors.

"I've waited patiently enough. But feel free to stay here until the proper time if you so desire," Damon replied shortly.

Stefan pursed his lips, rolled his eyes slightly and followed Damon into the hospital.

The two brothers walked down the hall and into the elevators, hit the button for the fifth floor and watched as the doors closed and the elevator began to ascend.

"I could have ran up the stairs faster," Damon complained.

Stefan grinned slightly but decided not to comment.

When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Damon and Stefan walked out and headed towards Vella's room, which was down the hall from elevators. As they passed by the nurse's station, a very pregnant nurse approached them, standing in their way.

Damon glared at the nurse, while Stefan moved him aside slightly, putting a supportive hand on his back.

"Is something wrong?" Stefan asked.

The nurse looked from Stefan to Damon. "Are you Damon?"

"Yes," he said impatiently.

"Can you come with me for a moment? I need to speak with you in private."

"You can speak in front of my brother."

Christina wasn't sure why, but she was a little afraid. "Please, just follow me."

Damon glared at her as she turned to waddle towards an empty room. Stefan nudged him gently to follow her. As they both walked in the room, she closed the door behind them.

She walked over to a chair and sat down, her very pregnant belly was protruding well over her lap. "I'm sorry, I really need to sit."

"What's this about?" Damon asked impatiently.

"I came to check on Vella this morning. I don't work on this ward, but when I found out she was here I had to visit," she explained. "But when I went into her room, she was nowhere to be found. And stranger still, the nurses didn't see her leave."

"What?" Damon exclaimed, while Stefan put his hand on his back.

"I have no idea what happened. All I can tell you is some nurses are up for a suspension for not checking on her. They can't even explain why they didn't. They checked on everyone else."

Damon turned and looked at his brother fearfully. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Stefan returned his look with concern and fear. He knew of one possibility and he really hoped it wasn't that.

"Can you tell us anything else?" Stefan asked.

"I checked the printout of her vitals and it's really strange," she said, shaking her head.

"What's strange?" Damon asked.

"Her doctor told me she had been doing extremely well considering. But they kept her heart and blood pressure monitored just in case. It was almost midnight when her blood pressure spiked for a short time and then suddenly there was nothing. No blood pressure, no heart beat but the monitors were still attached to her."

"How can you tell?" Damon asked susprised.

"If the monitors are taken off, the alarm goes off. It would have shown that. No one can explain how her heart stopped beating, yet she managed to walk out of here."

Damon turned to glare at his brother, before turning back to the nurse. "How do you know she walked out of here?"

"Her clothes are missing for one. But also, the cameras picked her up walking through the ER this morning about four a.m. or so."

"Is there any way we could view the security footage from last night?"

"I doubt security would allow it, but you could ask them. I will call down to them and let them know the situation."

"Thank you," Damon said, then turned to open the door.

"If you find her, could you tell her to give Christina a call please? I'm worried."

Damon turned around and nodded his head. "I will."

"Thank you, Damon."

Damon opened the door and walked out, heading towards the elevators. Stefan was behind him, but kept back a few paces. He knew his brother was angry. They both walked into the elevator, Damon hit the first floor button, then turned to glare at his brother.

"You did this didn't you, Stefan? You were the one who found her. She seemed to heal quickly, too quickly. You gave her your blood, didn't you?"

"Damon..." he opened his mouth to explain, but Damon grabbed him by his throat, strangling the words he was trying to form.

Damon let go of his brother as the elevator settled on the first floor. He walked out and headed to the left, down the hall until he reached the security office. He realized Stefan was following him, but he didn't have time to deal with him right now. He walked in the office and greeted the security officer.

"I'm not sure what looking at the security footage is going to tell you, Mr. Salvatore. I already explained to nurse Christina that there is nothing helpful."

Damon stared deep into the officer's eyes, compelling him to be agreeable. He turned and give a dirty look to his brother, knowing he disagreed with his tactics, not that he cared. The officer moved aside, allowing Damon to look through the footage.

Stefan stood by the door while watching Damon look through the footage. He wanted to know what had happened as much as his brother did.

"Damn him!" Damon yelled a few minutes later.

"What's going on?" Stefan asked his brother warily.

Damon got up from the desk, looking at his brother angrily. "John Gilbert. He came into the hospital last night around the time the nurse said Vella's monitor said her heart stopped." The last few words were difficult for Damon to say without wanting to cry or scream.

"I'm sorry, Damon," he apologized. "I was only trying to help her."

"I know. But do you realize what's happened? You gave her your blood, she died, now she's in transition. If it happened around midnight, then she only has until noon to complete it or she'll die."

"Unless she has already."

Damon looked at his brother pensively. "Unless she doesn't want this life again..."

"But if she's transitioned she will be waiting out the sun. I'm not sure either way we will find her."

Damon took his phone out of his pocket, searched for a number in his contact list, then dialed it. "Liz. Have there been any deaths or unexplained disappearances today?"

Stefan listened closely, so he could hear the other side of the conversation.

"One disappearance early this morning. Why?"

"Thanks, Liz."

"Wait, Damon! Is there another vampire in town?"

"There might be. I'll let you know what I find out," he replied, closing his phone.

"Do you think Vella had something to do with it?" Stefan asked his brother.

Damon looked at his brother wearily. "Possibly. We need to find her before someone else does. Or before she hurts anyone else."

"I'm truly sorry, Damon," Stefan began.

"This is not the time or place to discuss this, brother. Let's just find her."

Stefan nodded in agreement and the two brothers left the office and the hospital.

The brothers split up after leaving the hospital. Stefan decided to warn Elena, while Damon decided to see what else Liz could tell him about the missing man. All she could tell him was where he lived and that he went missing after he took the garbage out. Damon decided to check out the man's house.

As Damon approached the missing man's house, he could smell Vella's presence. He now knew she had been here and was completely positive he would find her, but not until the sun went down. He decided to go home and take a nap, since he hadn't really slept the night before.

Stefan arrived at the boarding house late in the afternoon. He had visited and talked to many of his friends as well as searching for Vella. He had no luck whatsoever, but he decided it was time to give up and talk to Damon.

He walked up the stairs and headed towards Damon's bedroom, where he found the door open. He peeked in and saw his brother was sleeping. He really didn't want to wake him, he looked very peaceful, but with Vella missing, he thought that took precedence over everything else.

He rapped on the side of the door jamb as he walked in the room. Damon roused, but didn't open his eyes. He sighed loudly and called his brother's name.

Damon opened his eyes wearily, blinking a few times before seeing his brother standing close to his bed.

"What do you want?" he mumbled as he sat up in bed.

"You turned your phone off and we need to talk."

"Couldn't this have waited another hour or two?"

"No, Damon. We need to find her."

Damon rolled his eyes, threw the covers off of himself and stood up, mussing with his hair. "We won't find her until it's dark."

"How do you know?" he asked curiously.

"She's a vampire again, Stefan. She can't go out in the sun. Figure it out." he replied sarcastically.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Now stop asking stupid questions and get out of the way."

Stefan moved aside as his brother walked past him and headed downstairs. He was too shocked to really think clearly at the moment. He wanted to feel bad for Vella, for being cursed once again. But truthfully, the alternative would have been her death and he really wouldn't have preferred that outcome. What he did know, was that his brother was going to need support. He just hoped he would let him in.

Once Stefan had his bearings again, he walked downstairs and into the livingroom, where Damon was drinking scotch in a glass.

"You just got up, Damon."

Damon turned to his brother slowly with a glare. "It's five o'clock somewhere," he replied sarcastically, then downed the rest of his drink and poured himself another.

Stefan decided to leave the issue alone. It was after five, but he really thought Damon should be sober. It would be sunset soon and they needed to find Vella before she could hurt somebody else. He decided his time would best be served by calling Elena and warning her to stay inside tonight.

There was a knock at the door a few minutes later. Stefan answered it and was surprised to see Alaric standing there. He knew his brother was still angry with him and Damon wasn't really very stable at the moment. He had to hope that Damon wouldn't do something stupid.

Alaric walked into the livingroom, staying near the doorway. He knew Damon was still upset with him, but he knew he could help, it was the least he could do.

"Damon," Alaric called. "I want to help look for Vella."

Damon looked at Alaric angrily at first, then eyed up his drink. He threw it against the wall, then turned towards Alaric again, but with a sorrowful look.

"Feel free to do what you want, Rick. Maybe she will find you first," he said with a delighted grin. "Just stay the hell out of my way."

Alaric nodded, turning around and walked out of the livingroom towards the hallway. As he walked by Stefan, he told him he would call him if he heard anything, then left out the door.

Once Alaric was gone, Stefan decided it was time to go.

"I'm surprised at you, Damon," he said. "I thought you would have killed him on the spot."

Damon stood up from cleaning up his broken glass, to gaze at his brother. "This might surprise you little brother, but I'm not really angry with him anymore."

"You're right, I don't believe it."

Damon grinned and shook his head slightly. "You don't know me as well as you think then."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

He rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, then sighed and looked more sorrowful. "Do you want me to tell you the truth? Spill my heart out to you? Would that make you feel better, Stefan?"

Stefan crossed his arms looking at him seriously. "It would make me feel better if you want to talk to me."

"And why is that?"

"Why do you always have to keep your feelings to yourself, Damon? You know if anyone understands it's me."

Damon snorted. "Seriously? After all these years you still wonder why I can't talk to you?"

"Yes. Actually I do wonder. You changed once you were with Vella. I thought that would have lasted."

"You're right about one thing, I did change when I was with her. But I still can't trust you."

"Why is that, Damon?"

"How about when you kissed my soon to be wife right before the wedding? For no reason than to feed your damn ego."

"My ego?" Stefan asked with surprise.

"Yes. Why else would you kiss her, knowing that you couldn't be with her?"

Stefan pursed his lips in thought. He didn't actually know the answer to that himself.

"I do know you tried to convince her not to go through with it. Saying I wasn't good enough for her."

"Damon..."

"No! You brought this all up. Now you're going to listen to me," he said harshly.

Stefan went to open his mouth, but he shut it promptly. He had asked his brother to vent, so he would stand and listen to it.

"It's always been the same with us, Stefan. First, Katherine. Then, Elena. Now, Vella." Damon set the broken glass on the table and sat down on the arm of the couch. "I love Vella with all of my heart. She's never once asked me to change who I am, I willingly changed on my own for her. I've never regretted it. She accepts me for who I am. No women in my past has ever done that. And everything was better than great until John Gilbert came along." Stefan nodded in agreement. "It wasn't anything I couldn't deal with, until she became human again. I nearly killed her, Stefan. Do you know what that did to me? I wanted to run out into the sun with my ring off and end it all there. But do you know what stopped me? She did. She forgave me, just as she always does. But I couldn't forgive myself, I wouldn't allow myself to get away with it. I did what I had to. I pushed her away. I told her it was for her own good, but it was for myself just as much as it was for her."

"She knew that, Damon," Stefan said quietly.

"That might be, but I still hate myself for it. But more than that, I knew she was better off without me. That's what hurt. And seeing her with Alaric was painful, but it was right. She's a good person and deserves a good life."

"Damon..."

"She can't have that with me."

"That isn't true at all and you know it."

"Do I, Stefan? She should have been human. She should have had babies just as she's always wanted. Have you ever seen the pain in her eyes when she is with Anthony? She loves that little boy as much as if he was hers, but he's not hers and it pains her. That's the life she deserves. A loving husband, babies, a job. None of these things she can have with me."

"You're wrong, Damon. She loves you more than life itself. Why do you think she's a vampire again? She knew the consequences, but she doesn't care because she loves you as much as you love her."

"She didn't have a choice though, did she? Someone murdered her."

"That's true. But if she didn't love you, why would she have gone through with the transformation again?"

"She wouldn't have even had a choice to make if you hadn't given her your blood."

"Is that what this is about, my blood? Are you jealous it couldn't have been you?"

"I'm not jealous, Stefan. I'm actually grateful," he said, looking away.

Stefan walked over to his brother and put his hand on his shoulder in support. "Let's go find her."

Damon looked at his brother, a look of thankfulness passed through his eyes, but was gone almost instantly. "Let's go."

**A/N: A little longer than last chapter. I haven't quiet decided on what's going to happen next chapter so we will see how long it takes me to update. I haven't even began writing it yet. This chapter was almost half written before ****I decided to split the chapters.**

**Thanks so much for reading! And of course for the wonderful reviews. It's what keeps me writing. *hugs***


	75. Chapter 75

Chapter 75 ~ Frantic Searching

Damon and Stefan left the boarding house to search for any sign of Vella. Both of them were worried she would hurt someone if they didn't find her soon. They had separated to be able to search for her in a larger area. They kept in touch by phone.

The sun was almost completely down by the time Damon made it in to town. He had taken a quick detour through the woods and by the cemetary, even though he knew Vella probably wouldn't be out until it was dark enough. He really had no idea where to look for her.

Vella opened her eyes wearily, blinking several times before fully opening them. She scanned the room quickly, before remembering where she was. She slumped her head back onto the pillow and sighed pitifully.

She was feeling sorry for herself, as she stared at the ugly flowery wallpaper in the motel room. She wasn't all that upset she was a vampire again, in fact she was actually thrilled about it. However, she was sorry for killing the man she had attacked during her transition. But that wasn't all. She was worried about so many things it was hard to keep it all straight.

Vella remembered times when her emotions had been out of control in her previous vampire life, but she couldn't remember it ever feeling this chaotic. Everything seemed to be blurring itself into one emotion, hate.

It was taking all of her control not to tear the room apart in frustration and anger. But a thought occurred to her, she knew who she could take it out on. She just had to wait until the sun was down.

She stood up from the dingy bed and walked over to the window. She could tell it was almost dark, but she wasn't sure if it was dark enough. So she carefully moved the curtain aside a fraction of an inch and put her hand in the window. Her hand didn't burst in to flame, but it felt almost tingly. She decided to take a risk and pulled back the entire curtain, standing in front of it.

She looked out the window into the litter strewn parking lot. It was mostly empty, except for a couple of vehicles. The streetlights were already on and the sky beyond seemed to be darkening. It was twilight.

Vella looked around the room for a quick moment, before opening the door and walking outside. She looked into the sky again, noticing some bats flying around and a few nocturnal birds. She listened to the evening sounds while she tried to sort out where she was going to go. She knew she should go to the boarding house, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to do that right now.

She was immersed in her thoughts when she was approached by a scruffy looking man. He asked her for change, which she didn't have and then he asked if she had a smoke. She shook her head, then looked away from him. A clicking sound made her turn back around to face him.

The man was staring at her hungrily, brandishing a knife. She knew what he wanted and laughed out loud.

"I wouldn't try that if you want to live another day," Vella warned him.

"I'm the one with the knife sweetheart," the man said courageously.

Vella rolled her eyes and snorted. "I'm not afraid of your knife. You better leave before I lose my patience and do something we both regret."

The man ran at Vella, slashing the knife in the air towards her. She put her hand out to stop him and the knife cut her. She watched as it healed, then grabbed the man's arm and stabbed him with his own knife in the opposite shoulder. He screamed out in agony and dropped to his knees as the knife pierced his flesh.

Vella took a step back for a moment, trying to control the bloodlust that had erupted inside her. She could see, smell and even hear the blood flowing from the wounded man. She wanted to taste it so badly that it hurt to fight the urge. What felt like hours to her, was only seconds. She couldn't resist her hunger any longer. Her face became paler, her eyes became dark and her long, sharp fangs descended from her upper jaw. She picked the man up by his hair and tore out his neck, drinking every drop of blood that flowed from the gaping wound. Once she was sure he was dead and there was no more blood, she threw his limp, lifeless body aside and walked away.

Vella felt strong and refreshed. It made it easier to think clearly when she wasn't so hungry. And her mind only had one thing on it, revenge. She wanted revenge on John Gilbert and his vampire accomplice Jack. She intended to satisfy that desire, as soon as she could find them. She looked up into the sky again, noticing the moon. It triggered a faint memory about Tyler, but she couldn't think about him right now. She intended on finding Jack first.

At first it seemed that her searching would be fruitless, until she remembered something. She wasn't sure at first if she could still do magic, but after some concentrating she was able to cast a simple spell. It gave her some hope that her next spell would work.

Drawing some energy from the moon and the trees around her, she cast the spell she wanted, a searching spell. It told her exactly where to find Jack. She searched the trees around her for the perfect piece of wood to use as a stake. She didn't find a perfect one, but it was suitable and that's all that mattered. She tucked it into the side of her pants, covering it up with her shirt, leaving in the direction the spell indicated.

As she approached the hotel Jack had been staying at, he was just leaving out the back door. She watched as he ran through the parking lot, hopped a fence with ease and kept running.

Vella did her best to keep up with him, only staying back far enough so she wouldn't be noticed. Not more than a minute later, he stopped running when he noticed a lone woman walking down a dark, quiet road. She knew he wouldn't be able to resist the woman, so she readied herself.

Jack approached the woman cautiously, talking to her for a moment. Vella knew it was just a ploy, he would enjoy it much more when the woman would try to walk away, then he would make his move. She was right. A few seconds later, Jack pounced on the woman, grabbing her by the hair.

Vella ran at them vamp speed, knocking him down, but only for an instant. He got right back up as she yelled at the woman to run.

"So, you had vampire blood in your system when you died. It will be even more entertaining killing you this time," Jack said tauntingly.

Vella smiled at him with amusement. "I'm not helpless in a bed this time. You sure you can handle that?"

Jack narrowed his eyes, glaring at her. "I'm sure I can handle a newborn vampire."

"Really?" she asked sarcastically. "Are you positive? It's not like I haven't been a vampire before."

"But it will be the last," he said confidently.

Vella laughed as Jack began to move towards her, then fall to his knees almost instantly, clutching his head. She walked up to him, looking down upon him with a look of pure amusement.

"You shouldn't have helped John. Sorry I don't have time to play with you any longer, but your eternity ends here." She deftly grabbed the piece of wood from the waist of her pants and stabbed it into his heart. She watched as his face turned gray and the life left his eyes. Killing him wasn't as enjoyable as she had hoped, but it meant one less entity in her way.

Now that Jack was dead, Vella decided it was time to find Tyler. She still had no idea what had happened to him after the spell had gone horribly wrong and she needed to know. As badly as she wanted to see Damon again, this needed to take precedence. It was her fault if anything happened to him and she couldn't rest not knowing.

Damon searched for Vella all through town to no avail. He visited every place he knew had meant anything to her. The more he searched, the more angry and frustrated he became. The worst part was not finding any sign of her at all. It made his mind go to some very dark and scary places, places he just didn't want to go to. When he stopped to think, frightening scenarios ran through his head, causing him to feel even more anxious then he already was. He knew he had to find her and soon, or he was going to drive himself insane with worry.

He called his brother to see if he had seen or heard anything, but Stefan hadn't. Damon wasn't surprised though. As close as he was with Vella, he would never be as close to her as he was.

As the night began to wear on, his uneasiness and frustration grew. That was, until he got a phone call from Sheriff Forbes. He immediately raced to where she was, hoping this would be the lead he was looking for.

"What's up, Liz?" Damon asked as he approached her.

Liz stepped aside, revealing a body on the ground. "It's not every day you see a dead vampire lying on the sidewalk."

Damon walked over to the body and bent down to look at it. He didn't know who he was, but he could smell Vella's scent on him. He suddenly felt relieved to have found a sign of her somewhere. But now there was a bigger mystery. Who was this vampire? And what did he have to do with Vella?

"Would you like me to dispose of it?" Damon asked.

"No, but thank you for offering," the sheriff replied. "I already have someone on their way."

Damon turned to leave, when the sheriff called him.

"Did you know him?" she asked, pointing to the dead vampire.

"Nope."

"Something strange is going on here, Damon. Are you going to let me in on it?"

"I have no idea, but I'm going to find out."

Damon turned and left quickly before Liz would have a chance to ask any more questions. He didn't think she, or anyone else for that matter, needed to know about Vella right now. He wasn't even quite sure himself what was going on with her.

Damon followed a silent trail from the dead vampire's body, until he couldn't sense her any longer. He threw his head back in frustration, closing his eyes momentarily. When he opened them, he was looking up at the moon, which had only been full two nights before. It was then he got an idea.

Damon pulled his phone from his pocket, dialing his brother.

"Hello, Damon?"

"Has anyone heard from Tyler since the night of the full moon?"

"I don't know. Why do you ask?" Stefan replied.

"Just a thought."

"Do you think she's looking for him?"

"Not sure, Stefan, but it's better than any other idea. Meet me at the Lockwood's."

"Okay."

Damon ended the call and put his phone back into his pocket. He began to head towards the Lockwood's property, quickly at first, but then he slowed down and decided to head there more cautiously. He had no idea what had happened to Tyler. For all he knew he was a werewolf permanently now and he wasn't sure he wanted to mess with him, even though he was angry with him. He still blamed him for everything that had happened. If it hadn't been for him, Vella might still be human and safe. Of course he wasn't sure if he completely believed that, but it was easier to tell himself that.

Vella approached the Lockwood's property cautiously. She wasn't sure what state Tyler might be in and she didn't want to be taken by surprise. She wished she could use her magic to find him, but she was already tired and didn't want to risk trying to use it again.

She thought about knocking at the front door, but she wasn't sure how the mayor might greet her if she did. She really hated not knowing what had happened. It made things more difficult.

After listening, she walked through the gates of the property and walked around to the back. She headed for the building that she had once been dragged to unwillingly, the pool house.

She walked up to the door and listened, putting her ear next to the door. She couldn't hear anything and was about to walk away, when the door opened.

"Tyler!" Vella exclaimed startled.

Tyler looked at her in disbelief. "Vella. What are you doing here?"

"Can I come in and explain?"

"Yes, please do."

Tyler stepped back and allowed Vella to walk into the room, closing the door behind her. He turned around and watched as she paced nervously for a few seconds before finally settling down and standing still.

"What happened to you, Tyler?"

"After the spell?"

"Yes."

Tyler walked over to Vella, gazing at her strangely. He hugged her awkwardly for a moment, then pulled back looking abashed.

"I'm sorry. I guess I shouldn't have done that."

Vella had been surprised by his embrace and was feeling confused.

"I just wanted to thank you, Vella. I guess I was just overwhelmed."

Vella nodded her head, still feeling confused.

"I'm sorry. I guess i should explain." Vella nodded her head again. "When the spell was interrupted, I only had time to make one phone call. I didn't even get to finish it when I transformed. I ran right after that vampire bastard, but I didn't catch up to him. I started to head back to where you were, but I heard Stefan so I assumed you would be okay."

"Yeah, I was. I guess."

Tyler studied her for a second. "Are you really okay?"

Vella pursed her lips, looking at him suspiciously. "I'm fine."

"No, I don't think you are. What's going on?"

Vella closed her eyes for a moment, trying to control her frustration. She opened her eyes to find Tyler standing there in wolf form.

"What the hell?"

Tyler transformed back into himself right in front of her eyes, grinning wickedly.

"I'm sorry. I thought it would be better if I showed you."

"You can change into a wolf anytime now?"

"Well not exactly. Only at night, but not only on the full moon anymore."

Vella walked over to the nearest chair and slumped down with a look of relief on her face. Her anxiety over Tyler's condition was for naught. It made the turmoil inside her calm for the moment.

"I was so worried something worse had happened, Ty."

He laughed haughtily. "I guess it takes a lot more than a spell going wrong to take me out."

Vella looked at him with a straight look for a moment, then laughed too. His ego obviously hadn't been damaged at all.

"Now that I know you're okay, I need to go."

"Why? What's going on?"

"I just have to," she said quickly and stood up.

Tyler walked in front of her. "You never told me what happened to you, Vella. I was going to visit you at the hospital but I thought Damon would probably be angry."

"I wouldn't know," she mumbled under her breath.

"I can tell something is going on with you. I wouldn't be much of a friend if I let you leave you leave like this."

"I'm fine!" she stated harshly. She was becoming more and more agitated with him.

"I don't think you are and I'm not letting you by until you tell me what's wrong," he said putting his hand on her shoulder.

Vella's temper hit its tempest when Tyler put his hand on her. She took her arm and flung him aside as if he were a rag doll, flying backwards, he hit the wall that was only ten feet away. Tyler fell to the ground, leaving a hole in the wall.

He looked up at her in surprise by her strength. At first he had no idea what to think, his brain was addled by his collision with the wall. But it only took seconds for him to regain his composure and realize what was going on.

"You're a vampire again, aren't you?" he asked, even though he was positive of the answer.

"I'm not discussing anything with you any longer, Tyler." She walked towards the door, but he changed into his wolf form instantly and in a second was standing in her way.

"Don't make me do this, Ty," she said regretfully.

Tyler changed back into his human form, looking at her with sorrow, but standing his ground. "I may not be as strong as on the night of the full moon, but I'm positive I'm stronger than you."

Vella glared at him momentarily, before relaxing slightly. She was being stupid and letting her emotions run wild. She knew Tyler wanted to help her, but for some reason her mind wouldn't allow it. She balled her hands into fists, biting her lip, trying to fight off the wave of sadness, fear and guilt that had a tight grip over her. She didn't want to feel it, the anger hurt less. She wanted to scream and yell and hurt something, anything that would make her feel better. But the anger was uncontrollable and she didn't like not being in control of herself.

Tyler didn't know what to do. He could tell she was hurting inside, but she didn't seem to be reasonable. He decided to do what he thought was best for her. He stuck his hand in his pocket and dialed Damon's phone. He didn't want her to know, so he just left it in his pocket but still on. He hoped that Damon would answer it and listen.

He pulled his hand out of his pocket and walked closer to her, talking calmly and gently. "Whatever you're going through Vella, I can help if you'll let me."

She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, then shook her head.

"Why did you come looking for me at the pool house if you didn't want help?"

"I just wanted to make sure nothing had happened to you."

"I think it's more than that," he said, trying to keep her talking.

"No. I felt guilty because I had no idea what had happened to you. It was my fault the spell didn't work."

"It wasn't your fault, it was that vampire."

"That vampire was sent by John Gilbert. He was out to hurt me and you got caught in the middle." Her frustration was beginning to peak again. "Can't you see that it's me. It's always me. People get hurt around me."

"You know that isn't true, Vella," Tyler said with conviction.

"That's where you're wrong," she said in a whiny voice, fighting off tears. "Everyone close to me always gets hurt and it's my fault." She took a breath and calmed her tears. "That's why I need to leave. Get away from everyone. Then I know everyone will be safe," she finished with conviction.

"I'm not going to let that happen," said a familiar voice from the doorway.

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. Sometimes the writing comes easily and sometimes not so much, even when you know what's going to happen. I only proof read this once, so i'm hoping there aren't anymore typos. I hate that with a passion. I've noticed I don't always catch them.**

**Oh and yes I'm evil for ending it there. The next chapter might be a bit too, I'm not completely sure what's going to happen, too many ideas.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	76. Chapter 76

Chapter 76 ~ As We Meet Again

Vella turned at the voice in the doorway with surprise. "Damon!"

Damon smiled at her, but it was not reflected in his eyes. He was hurt, but he didn't want her to know that. All he cared about was her safety, his feelings didn't matter at this point.

"What are you doing here?" she asked with no obvious show of emotion.

"Can we talk about this somewhere else?"

Vella was happy to see him, but for some reason, his assumption that she would just leave with him annoyed her. She knew it wasn't right, but nothing seemed to be right. Her mood was shifting constantly and she didn't know what to think anymore. She knew she missed Damon, but she was also angry with him for pushing her away for weeks. Her frustration began to show on her face, leaving Damon concerned.

"Vella?" he gently prodded. "Look at me, please?"

Vella looked at him, but showed no emotion. She wasn't sure why, but she just couldn't get a handle on any one emotion. They just seemed to be blurring into one another.

Damon looked at Tyler, harshly at first, but then his look softened. "Thank you for calling. I had a feeling she would come to see you."

Tyler nodded his head. "Should I leave you two alone?"

"No. I think I'm gonna take her back to the boarding house."

"Take me back to the boarding house?" Vella said excitedly. "Who says I want to go there?"

"Vella, please be reasonable. We can talk there," Damon said persuasively.

Vella shook her head violently in refusal. "Why can't we talk here?"

Damon glanced at Tyler, then back to her.

"Oh, because of Tyler?"

"That's part of it."

"What's the other part?" she asked crossing her arms in anger and frustration.

"Vella, be reasonable."

Vella uncrossed her arms, putting them on her hips. "How do you know I'm being unreasonable? How do you know anything about my life lately?"

Her statement sent guilt running through Damon, making it feel like he'd been hit by ice cold water. He knew he should have been more involved and protective of her, but he thought he had been doing what was best for her and keeping her safe. It just turned out that she wasn't any safer away from him, then when she was with him.

"I'd like us to talk in private, somewhere safe."

"I'm safe here, Damon. Tyler wouldn't hurt me."

"I know, but it's getting late and the sun will be up in a few hours."

A knowing look passed through Vella's eyes for a moment, before hardening again.

"I'm not sure where I want to go yet, Damon," she explained. "Maybe I want to go back to my cabin."

"I'll go wherever you want to go."

Damon watched as she seemed to be struggling with a decision. He was worried about her. More so than he had been in a long time. Her transition didn't seem to be as simple and easy as it had been the first time and he knew why. He wondered if she knew as well, or if she was just too unbalanced to think clearly.

Vella shuffled her feet nervously, looking over Damon's shoulder to the outside. She felt like bolting, even though she had no idea why. All she could think about when she had awakened from death was Damon, so why did she feel like getting away from him now? She had no idea and the more she thought about it, the more conflicted she felt.

"I don't know what I want," she stammered quietly.

Everyone in the room was quiet for a few moments, before movement could be heard outside. They all turned to see Stefan standing at the door.

"What's going on?" Stefan asked his brother as he turned around to face him.

"It's Vella," he said sadly.

"Is she..."

"See for yourself," Damon interrupted with obvious frustration.

Damon turned around as Stefan walked into the room to stand beside him. He watched as Vella's rigid stance loosened slowly, until she seemed to relax.

"How are you, Vella?" Stefan asked concerned.

Vella looked at him angrily for a moment, then relaxed.

"I'm fine."

Damon looked shocked at her reaction, before a knowing look crossed his face. He turned to his brother with a look of pure malice, raised his fist, then shook his head and relaxed his hand to his side again. He opened his mouth to say something, then thought better of it and instead walked outside to curb his anger.

Stefan watched him walk out, not quite sure what was wrong. He shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention back to Vella. He walked closer to her, so he was standing within arms reach of her.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Vella looked confused for a moment. She wasn't sure why Damon was angry, but the moment Stefan walked up to her, she realized it wasn't as important as it had been seconds before.

"Vella?" Stefan called. "Look at me and focus."

Vella looked into his eyes and felt her thoughts becoming less chaotic. She nodded her head slightly to show she was paying attention.

"How are you feeling now?"

"Much better."

"Good," he said smiling slightly. "Would you mind coming back to the boarding house so we can talk?"

Vella was about to refuse, but for some reason she wanted to go now.

"Okay," she agreed.

Stefan urged her to follow him as he walked out of the door, but she couldn't stop before saying goodbye to Tyler.

"I'm sorry for everything, Ty. I will talk to you again soon."

Tyler nodded his head with less enthusiasm than he had greeted her with earlier in the night. He was unsure of his feelings for this 'new' Vella.

Vella walked outside to see Stefan waiting for her. She noticed Damon was not standing far away, but he looked angry and she had no idea why. She hesitated for a moment, then walked closer to Stefan, stopping to stand beside him. Her pleading eyes were on Damon though. She didn't like to see him so upset.

Stefan nodded to Damon, who turned around and began running towards home. Then he put his hand on Vella's shoulder to nudge her forward. It was all the prompting she needed as she ran after Damon, with Stefan close behind her.

All three of them arrived at the boarding house around the same time. After a little coaxing from Stefan, Vella went inside, while the two brothers hung back for a moment.

"I don't think I'm going be able to forgive you for this, brother," Damon said acidly.

"Damon..." Stefan began.

"No!" Damon interrupted. "Now have an unbreakable bond with her and there is no way in hell I am okay or will ever be okay with that."

"She loves you though, Damon."

"How the hell would you know?"

There were few things Stefan was sure of, but Vella's love for Damon was one of them. As much as he hated to admit it, even to himself, Vella was Damon's soulmate, if there was such a thing. At one time he wanted to spare her from his brother, but with all they had been through together, he knew they were meant to be. He had no desire to come between them now.

"Let's just get inside before she does something crazy."

Damon rolled his eyes, even though his brother was right, following him through the door. They walked into the livingroom where Vella was sitting on a chair with a glass of vodka in her hand.

"I hope it's okay I helped myself," she said.

"This is still your home, Vella," Damon said, feeling a twinge of guilt.

Vella noticed his look of guilt, but she dismissed it. At the moment she didn't care if he was guilty or not.

Damon sat on a chair beside Vella, while Stefan sat on the couch across from them. They all sat for a few minutes on awkward silence, neither of them knowing what to say. But Vella's impulses were not easily controlled at the moment, so she wasn't able to stay quiet for long.

"Is someone going to ask me something?"

The brothers looked at each other, then back at Vella.

"Who did this to you?" Damon asked, trying to mask the anger he was feeling.

"Did what to me?" she asked, confused by the question.

Damon had to bite his tongue to keep himself from shouting in anger. Stefan noticed his brother's agitation and decided to elaborate for him.

"I think Damon would like to know who killed you," Stefan said.

"Oh," she said, wiggling around in her seat. "A vampire did."

Damon looked at her in surprise. "Is that the one the sheriff found dead tonight?"

A look of satisfaction crept across her face as she remembered her revenge.

"Yes, that was him."

"Did you kill him?"

"Yes, why?"

Damon snickered, then smiled at her. "No reason other than wanting to know who did it."

"He only did it because John Gilbert asked him to."

"What?" Damon and Stefan asked simultaneously.

Vella sighed, slumping her shoulders slightly. "All of this, it's John's fault. He sent that vampire to interrupt my spell. He was hoping it would kill me. When he found out I was still alive and well, he came into the hospital with the same vampire." She paused for a moment to compose herself before going on. "John ordered Jack, that was the vampire's name, to kill me. John said it was not really personal but something to do with the sins of my parents."

Damon squeezed the arm of the chair tightly in anger. He wanted to rip John apart for everything that he had done to Vella, but now was not the time for anger and revenge. That time would come later.

"Why didn't you come to the boarding house when you left the hospital?" Stefan asked.

Vella looked away, searching for an answer. It seemed so long ago to her, even though it hadn't been quite twenty four hours.

"I'm not really sure what I was thinking. Everything I was feeling was jumbled up."

Stefan could tell she was holding back and he was sure if she would open up, she would feel much better. He knew his brother would probably get angry with him, but he needed to do what he thought was best for her.

"There's more to it though, isn't there?"

She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again.

"You don't have to be afraid. Damon and I are the last ones who would ever judge you."

Damon narrowed his eyes at his brother but didn't say anything.

She sighed, glancing at Stefan, then at Damon before shifting her gaze to the wall behind him.

"At first all I wanted to do was get out of the hospital. I wanted to know what happened to Tyler. I wanted to know who had given me their blood. But I also knew I had to find blood or I would die." Her gaze shifted downwards as she continued. "So much was going through my head. I knew I needed to find shelter too, since the sun would be coming up soon afterwards. I just had no idea where to go."

"Why didn't you come here?" Damon asked.

She fixed her gaze on his face, looking sullen. "I was afraid to."

"Why?"

"There were a few reasons. Especially after I killed that poor man," she said looking away sadly.

"You didn't mean to hurt him. It was an accident."

"It doesn't make him any less dead."

Damon nodded in agreement hoping she would keep speaking.

"I didn't know what I wanted or what to do. My thoughts were mostly irrational. And I was afraid. Afraid you didn't want me anymore."

"How could you ever believe that, Vella?" he asked in surprise. "I love you so much it hurts."

Silent tears began to well up in her eyes. "I know that now. But I didn't then. I'm having so much trouble controlling my impulses."

"That's how it normally is when a vampire is first turned, Vella. You need to be here with us so we can help you."

Stefan stood up slowly. "I'm going to leave you two alone to talk. I need to make a few phone calls." He walked out of the room quickly.

Damon wanted to go to her and hold her, but he wasn't sure if she would allow him to. He decided he would just throw caution to the wind, he could deal with the rejection better than he could sit idly by and watch her suffer knowing he could do something about it. He walked over to her, crouching down and took her hands into his, looking into her eyes with love and concern.

Vella looked into Damon's eyes as if it was the first time she had ever seen them. She had forgotten how powerful his gaze was for her, drawing her into the depths of them, filling her with so much love. It was almost too intense for her right now. There were too many things going through her mind.

"I'm so sorry, Damon. For everything."

"What do you have to be sorry for, love?"

She studied his face, wondering if he was just humoring her. All she could see was his love and adoration for her.

"Everything, Damon. I shouldn't have attempted that spell. But not for the reasons you think." Damon looked at her curiously. "It just gave John his opportunity to hurt me."

"I shouldn't have pushed you, Vella," he said with regret. "Maybe if we had all stayed out of it you wouldn't have tried it."

She laughed sardonically. "It didn't matter either way. I would have gone through with it. My mother visited me. " He looked at her with shock. "She tried talking me out of it too. But once I have my mind made up, you know how difficult it is to change it."

Damon smiled, squeezing her hands. "It's something I love about you...when I'm not on the opposite side that is."

She smiled at him, squeezing his hands in return. "I just don't want you to be disappointed in me."

"I could never be disappointed in you."

"What about killing that man?"

He looked at her seriously. "I'm not disappointed in you for that. That what we do, Vella. We're predators. If anything I'm disappointed in myself."

"Why?" she asked in surprise.

"I wasn't there to protect you. I shouldn't have left that hospital room. If I had stayed, it never would have happened."

"You can't be with me every second of every day."

"No, but I should have been there then. At the least, I should have been there while you were in transition."

Tears began to roll down her face silently as she turned away from him slightly.  
Damon couldn't bear to watch her cry. He stood up and pulled her arms towards him, pulling her to a standing position. He wrapped his arms around her, supporting the back of her head with one hand, while her head was laying on his chest.

Once the tears slowed and she was able to control herself again, she pulled back from him slightly, but didn't slip from his embrace.

"Would you be disappointed if I said I'm not sorry this happened to me?"

"You mean being a vampire again?"

"Yes. I'm not sorry it happened. Just how it happened."

Damon gritted his teeth. He didn't want to tell her how much he hated that it was Stefan's blood who turned her. As happy as he was that she wasn't dead, he would rather it been blood from almost anyone else that had saved her.

"I'm just happy you're here with me now."

Vella was just as happy as he was. She wished she could understand why things seemed so much more difficult only hours before, but she knew everything would be okay now.

"I am too, Damon."

Damon took one of her hands in his and led her to the couch, easing her down and sitting beside her. He pulled her towards him, so her head was lying on his chest and he wrapped his arm around her. He didn't want to talk any longer, he just wanted to hold her. It had been so long since he was able to hold her in his arms, he didn't want the moment to end.

They both dozed off at some point, but Damon only slept for a short time. He wanted to enjoy being with Vella for as long as he could, he worried it wouldn't last. He knew how unpredictable vampires were when they first turned and he really worried for her. Just because she had experience being a vampire didn't mean anything. She had never fully experienced all of the inner turmoil that followed the transition her first time, thanks to Elena. She had given her blood to Vella willingly, which according to her mother, the sacrifice of blood to a vampire in transition, willingly given would help the vampire control their impulses. He knew none of this had happened this time and it was going to be difficult. He wanted to be optimistic, but he knew she would try to play it all down. All he could do was stay with her and hope it didn't end badly.

Damon dozed off again just before dawn. He was both mentally and physically exhausted and unable to stay awake any longer. He needed to be awake and strong when Vella woke up, so he gave himself up to sleep with no more resistance.

It was shortly after dawn, when Damon was awakened by a scream and being shoved off of the couch, falling unceremoniously to the floor.

He jumped up, turned around and scanned the room. He found Vella cowering in a dark corner of the room and ran over to her, crouching down beside her.

"What's wrong?" he asked concerned.

Vella narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, before relaxing.

"Someone left the curtains open and the sun was shining on me."

He pulled her into an embrace. "Oh my god, I am so sorry, Vella."

She struggled out of his grip, nearly knocking him over, and stood up with her hands on her hips.

"Are you going to do something about it or should I stand here all day?"

He gazed at her apologetically, before running through the room closing all of the curtains. He was angry with himself for forgetting such a simple thing, even though he really shouldn't be.

Once it was dark in the room, Vella sat down on the couch again and Damon joined her moments later. For several minutes there was only an awkward silence, neither knowing what to say. But Vella couldn't stay silent, there were too many ideas and impulses running through her mind.

"I'm hungry, Damon," she said impatiently. "This sucks."

Damon smiled sympathetically and went into the kitchen. He grabbed a bag of blood from the fridge and warmed it up, before returning to the livingroom and handing it to Vella.

Vella drank the blood quickly, throwing the bag on the table in disgust when she was finished.

"That's not going to cut it," she said with disdain.

Damon looked at her seriously. "That's going to have to do until nightfall."

She looked at him with pouty lips, but didn't complain. She felt much better than she had a few minutes ago, even though it wasn't what she craved.

"Do you want another bag?"

"No," she answered quickly.

Damon studied her for a short time, hoping to gain some insight into what she was thinking. He knew it was hopeless. There was no way he would be able to figure out which impulse would rear it's ugly head at any given moment.

"Is there something else I can get you, love?"

Vella looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, before frowning. She wasn't quite sure what she wanted at the moment, other than him. She didn't want to be alone anymore, she had spent way too many days and nights alone after she left him. She wasn't quite sure what to say or what to do to make things better.

He took her hand in his and looked into her eyes. He wanted to hold her, to kiss her, to make love to her so badly it hurt. The pain was so excrutiating, it felt worse than not having any blood for days. But he couldn't, wouldn't push her. He didn't think he deserved a second chance, so he was going to take things any way he could get them.

"I really need to go do something today. Will you be okay here without me?"

Vella looked at him sadly. She wanted to be selfish and make him stay with her, but she fought that impulse.

"Of course," she replied with as much confidence as she could.

He stood up from the couch and kissed her on the forehead. "I wouldn't go if this wasn't important."

She nodded lightly and stood up. "It's okay. I think i'm going to try and go back to sleep. I didn't sleep well."

"Okay," he said with a smile. "I promise I won't be too long."

Vella watched as Damon walked out of the room, listening for the front door to close. Once she was sure he was out of earshot, she sighed loudly and uttered to herself, "This is going to be a long day," then poured herself a drink.

**A/N: Not a cliffhanger but still left it open ended. This chapter came to me quickly, but the next might be a bit slower. Still trying to figure out something. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	77. Chapter 77

Chapter 77 ~ The Day After

Vella had been laying up in bed for an hour awake, trying to sleep. She was tired, but she couldn't sleep. There was so much running through her mind, it just wouldn't stop. She had really hoped that Damon wouldn't be long, but every minute that passed seemed like an eternity to her.

The room was almost completely dark. She had made sure the curtains were tightly closed so absolutely no light could shine in and burn her. She hated it. It felt like a prison and she was going to go stir crazy. At least, that was how she felt. Really, she was just bored. But with every feeling, emotion or impulse intensified, it really did feel like she was going to go crazy.

Vella laid in bed for a few minutes more before going downstairs into the livingroom. No one was there when she arrived, which suited her just fine.

She poured herself a large glass of vodka and drank it quickly. She hoped it would help with her hunger, but it only dulled it slightly. She knew she needed to take her mind off of it, but had no idea how.

Sighing in frustration, she turned the TV on and flipped through the channels, but nothing interested her. She turned it off in frustration and turned on the stereo, putting it on the radio. She cranked it up so it was moderately loud, then laid on the couch to listen to it.

She dozed off at some point, because the next thing she remembered was someone yelling her name and it suddenly becoming quiet.

Vella opened her eyes and saw Stefan's eyes staring down at her.

"What's wrong, Stefan?" she asked groggily.

Stefan raised his eyebrow in surprise. "Why did you need the music so loud?"

Vella shrugged her shoulders as she sat up. "It was helping me sleep."

He rolled his eyes and mumbled. "How could anyone sleep with music that loud?"

"Me," she said innocently.

He shook his head in disbelief and smiled. "Sorry I woke you. I'll leave you alone."

Vella watched him leaving towards the hallway, while she noticed Elena walking towards the kitchen. She was going to try and lay back down, but suddenly she wasn't tired any longer. Her thoughts were leading her in another direction.

She got up from the couch and stood still. Her mind was telling her to follow Elena into the kitchen, but deep down inside she knew it was the wrong thing to do. Seconds later, she was following Elena into the kitchen, her legs taking her there almost on their own.

She opened the door to the kitchen and walked in, spying Elena bent over in the fridge reaching for something. She walked up behind her, startling Elena who bumped her head on the top of the fridge.

"Oh, hello, Vella," Elena said as she turned around rubbing the top of her head where she bumped it.

"Hi, Elena," Vella replied with a smile.

Elena noticed Vella's smile didn't seem as friendly as she was trying to be. She felt nervous, uncomfortable and a little afraid like she had never felt around her before.

"Uh, I gotta go now," Elena said shakily as she walked around Vella, heading towards the door to the livingroom.

Vella watched her walk by, her eyes following her the whole time. The fear that was emanating from Elena was intoxicating and it was feeding into her vampire instincts. She was hoping that Elena would begin to run, it would make it so much more exciting to chase her.

Elena had been with vampires long enough to not try something as stupid as to run away. Instead, she began to walk away as if nothing was wrong.

Vella watched her walk into the livingroom and followed close behind. She followed her towards the hallway, when suddenly she couldn't hold back any longer. Her face changed and her fangs descended as she neared Elena.

Elena turned around just in time to see Vella's face change. She let out a shriek and backed up slowly away from her, until she was stopped by the wall.

Vella stared at her with her fangs out and hands clenched into fists. Deep down she knew this was wrong, but she couldn't resist, it was too overwhelming. She didn't move any closer, but she didn't back up either. She was frozen in place while she battled with the ancient instincts that were driving her at the moment.

Stefan appeared between the two, glaring angrily at Vella. Vella glared back at him, but she didn't back down.

"That's enough, Vella," Stefan said firmly.

His voice did something to snap her out of her bloodlust, her face almost instantly returning to normal. She looked at him confused at first, then ashamed as she realized what had almost happened.

"I'm sorry," she said looking down at her feet, too ashamed to look at either Stefan or Elena.

"You should be," he said harshly. "What were you thinking?"

Vella opened her mouth to speak, but realized she didn't have any excuse. She knew what was going through her head, she just didn't understand why she couldn't stop herself.

Damon ran in the door as she opened her mouth. He stopped beside her and turned to his brother, glaring daggers at him.

"What were you thinking, Stefan?" Damon growled.

"Me?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, you," he said putting a supportive arm around Vella's shoulders. "Why would you bring Elena around here today? That's just asking for trouble."

Stefan narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms.

Damon snorted, narrowing his eyes also. "You know how unstable Vella is right now. And she can't go anywhere until nightfall. Why would you do something so stupid as to risk her life like this?"

"And why would you leave Vella home alone?" he retorted.

"I had to run an important errand, not that it's any of your business," he replied angrily. "Not that it should matter. She's my wife and has every right to be here."

Stefan rolled his eyes and sighed. "I never said anything like that and you know it."

"Well at least you were here to be superman once again."

Stefan rolled his eyes, refusing to argue with Damon any longer. He knew he wanted to punish him for giving Vella his blood, but he wasn't going to stand there and take it. He turned to Elena, put his arm around her and led her upstairs without another word or backwards glance.

Damon turned his attention to Vella, who had tears running from her eyes. He wiped them away and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"I'm so sorry, Damon," she sobbed. "I don't know what came over me."

"It's okay, love," he said gently. "It's not your fault."

"Yes. Yes it is."

Damon was feeling deep anguish for her. He had been in this position before and he hated that she was going through it now. He wanted to lash out and blame John and even his brother, but deep down he blamed himself. He didn't protect her like he had promised shortly after they met and worst of all was it wasn't the first time. She died the first time because he wasn't able to protect her and now it had happened again. He didn't think he deserved her, but he had to do what was right and take care of her, whether he felt like he deserved her or not.

Vella was deeply ashamed she had allowed herself to be so out of control. She never realized how lucky she had been in her past vampire life until this very moment. She would give anything to be that way once again, if there was a way.

Damon led Vella up to their bedroom, closing the door behind them. He sat her on the bed, sitting down beside her.

"I shouldn't have left you alone," he said, putting his hand up to hush her as she opened her mouth to speak. "It just happened that it took until yesterday to get a call about this." He began to look distant, pulling something out of his pocket.

"Here," he said, handing the box to her. "I've been trying to get this for you for a couple of months."

Vella looked at him curiously, taking the small wooden box in her hand. She looked it over, then glanced up at him again. He was smiling at her, but she wasn't sure why. She opened the lid to the box and found a piece of off white silk inside. Something was clearly wrapped inside it, but she couldn't tell what by the shape. It was larger than a ring, so she knew it couldn't be that.

She smiled up at Damon, then removed the piece of silk from the box. She gasped as she saw what lie underneath. It was a necklace with a pendant. But not just any pendant, a lapis lazuli pendant. It was shaped similar to a dagger with no hilt. It was narrower at the top, widening slightly, narrowing once again, then coming to a point. The shape was similar to that of a necktie.

"This is beautiful," she said with a smile, lifting it from the box by the chain. "But I don't understand why it would take you so long to get it."

Damon looked at her knowingly. He knew Vella would want to know if it had belonged to someone else.

"The lapis lazuli came straight from an old mine in Afghanistan. It's one of the most ancient sources of the stone," he said smiling. "I then had it wrapped by a mystic jeweler." She looked at him confused. "Yes, there is such a thing."

"So you knew I was going to ask if this was new or not, didn't you?"

Damon took the chain from her hands, stood up and leaned towards her, putting the necklace around her neck and securing the clasp.

"Yes, I did."

Vella grasped the pendant, looking down at it. It hung lower than her old one had, resting in her cleavage, almost right between her breasts. She marvelled at it's beauty, but she was feeling conflicted.

"I don't think I should have this right now," she blurted out.

Damon sat down, looking at her with shock and confusion. "Why not?"

"I don't think I should be allowed out in the sun until I can control myself."

He wanted to protest, but she was probably right. He refused to admit it to her though. He didn't want her to feel any more discouraged with herself.

"I'm not going to leave your side until I know you're able to control yourself," he stated adamantly.

Vella shook her head slightly, pursing her lips. "You know you can't guarantee that, Damon."

"Maybe not, but I'm going to try. I can't let you down again."

She smiled at him lovingly and laid her hand on his cheek. "You haven't ever let me down."

"Yes, I have."

"Damon Salvatore," she said imperiously. "You listen to me. You've always done what you thought was best for me and for that reason, you could never let me down."

Damon smiled lovingly, wrapped his arms around her pulling her close. He kissed her deep and passionately, easing her down onto the bed beside him.

Both were suddenly lost in the moment.

Damon had wanted to hold her, touch her and make love to her so badly for many weeks. She had been so breakable then. Nothing he normally couldn't handle, except the fact that her blood was like a dangerous drug to him. He had nearly killed her and it ate him up inside. He had never dared to think it would be possible to be with her again like this.

Vella had little control over her impulses, so she wouldn't have been able to stop herself, even if she had wanted to. She knew one thing for sure. She wanted to make love to Damon. She had wished she could be like this with him for many weeks. Often crying herself to sleep at night curled up to her pillow. But now she was with him and she didn't want to think about the past any longer.

They made love on and off for several hours. By the time they got out of bed it was almost completely dark outside.

They took turns showering, convinced that if they showered together it would be too much of a distraction. Vella showered first, since it took her longer to shower and get dressed.

Once they were both showered and dressed, they walked downstairs into the livingroom together. The lights had been left on, but no one seemed to be around.

Vella was pleased no one was around. She still felt badly for what had happened with Elena earlier in the day and she didn't feel like facing her or Stefan right now. All she wanted to do was get out of the house.

Damon took Vella's hand and led her outside, closing the door with his free hand. He walked her to his car and opened the passenger side door, closing the door once she was in and hopped into the driver side.

"Where are we going?" Vella asked curiously.

Damon glanced at her and smiled. "Hunting."

She waited to see if he was going to say anymore, but he didn't. He just started the car and began to drive out of town.

She let her mind wander, which it did very frequently now. She didn't notice the direction they were travelling, or the amount of time that passed. She didn't even notice when the car stopped.

"Where are we?" she asked as Damon opened the car door.

Damon smiled at her and reached for her hand, helping her out of the car. She glanced around, not seeing much but a seemingly decrepit building overshadowed by some tall trees with branches hanging low over the roof.

She was about to ask again where they were, but Damon looked at her seriously.

"I never wanted to tell you about this place," he said searching for the words. "It's not really a place I approve of."

"But you brought me here?" she asked curiously.

Damon rolled his eyes and sighed. "You'll understand in a minute," he said taking her hand, walking towards the building.

"See the picture of the black rose on the door?" he asked, not waiting for an answer. "It's a symbol for this particular club."

He stopped walking, taking Vella's arms in his hands so she could look straight at him. "It's kind of like a bar. Witches, vampires and others frequent these types of place to be amongst their own kind. There is no judgement or intolerance here. But, there are also regular humans that come here." He made a grimace of disgust. "They come here to be fed on from vamps." He shook his head in disbelief. "I don't really approve of that. I usually prefer my prey a little less accepting of their fate."

Vella's was completely confused. If he didn't agree with a place like this, why would he bring her here? It didn't sound like a great place to go on a date.

Damon could tell she was confused and maybe a bit apprehensive. He really didn't want to explain the reason behind visiting this place, but he knew she would never go along with him if he didn't. He just didn't want to hurt her feelings.

"I brought you here because I thought this would be the safest place for you to feed tonight."

"Oh," she said finally understanding. She frowned a bit, then shook her head in agreement.

"I don't want you to think I don't trust you, love. I'm just being cautious."

Vella smiled, brushing her hand on his cheek. "I don't know what I ever did to deserve you, but I'm glad you're mine."

Damon smiled and took her hand, leading her towards the door of the building. He still believed Vella deserved much better than him, but who was he to argue with her?

Damon led Vella through the door, into a small entranceway. There was one door leading ahead, but it was covered with a thin sheer drape. You could see through it, but couldn't really define who or what it was in the other room.

Vella held Damon's hand tightly, shifting weight from one foot to the other impatiently. She was normally pretty patient, but she felt anything but normal lately. She wasn't just feeling impatient though. She also felt nervous. The best she could do was to keep telling herself that Damon would never bring her somewhere that was dangerous for her. But then a memory swept through her mind forcing her to change her point of view. He had put her in a dangerous situation once before, but it wasn't intentional. She knew he would keep her safe. She trusted him with her life.

Damon squeezed her hand supportively, as a tall, slender, dark haired woman brushed back the drape and walked into the small room. She eyed the pair up and down, turning to Damon.

"It's been a long time, Damon," she said stoically.

"Yes, it has been, Teresa," he replied with a grin.

"And this is?" she asked, holding out her hand.

"This is, Vella," Damon answered. "My wife."

Vella took her outstretched hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you."

"Very nice to meet you too, Vella," she said, pulling her hand away. "Follow me."

Vella glanced at Damon apprehensively, as he took her hand and led her past the threshhold of the room, following Teresa.

The room beyond was not as mysterious as Vella would have thought. It was dark, with very little lighting. On either side of the room there was a bar, each with two bartenders and stools running the whole length. The patrons scarcely noticed anything, not really paying her any mind as she followed where she was being led.

They stopped at the end of the bars, where Teresa beckoned to someone standing at the end of the short hall that stretched past the bars.

The man approached Teresa, leaning close, whispering in her ear. Teresa shook her head and the man walked back to the end of the hall to stand guard.

"We have a private room ready for you," she said, looking at Damon.

He nodded his head, squeezing Vella's hand gently, following Teresa to the doorway that was on the left. They paused long enough for her to open the door, holding it open for the couple.

Vella scanned the room quickly. It was dimly lit, with a dark red, plush carpeting. There were a few pieces of furniture in various places in the room. A black leather couch, a red plush couch, some plush chairs and a four poster bed with red silk sheets. There were also a few small tables spread around the room. Some held candles, while others held liquor bottles and glasses.

She wasn't quite sure what to make of this place, but she didn't like the smell of it.

"Damon," she called, looking apprehensively.

"What's wrong, love?" he asked quietly.

"I'm not sure I like this place."

He smiled at her lovingly, taking her hands into his. "I know, but it's necessary."

She shook her head in confusion. "I don't understand any of this."

"Teresa has gone to get a willing victim for you to feed on."

"But what's with all of this?" she said glancing around the room. "The couches and beds."

He grinned as he explained.

"Most of the humans who come here to be fed from, find the act, uh... sexually gratifying."

Vella looked at him horrified, with hands on her hips. "I am not doing this, Damon!"

Damon grinned as he walked closer and put his hands on either side of her face. "I've made sure that the human they bring understands this is not for their pleasure, because..." He replied, trailing off.

"Because what?"

He smiled for a quick moment, then frowned slightly. "Do you really want to know what I think?"

She grasped his hands in hers and pulled them off of her face, gripping them tightly. "Yes."

"You're a passionate woman, Vella." He didn't want to smile, but he couldn't help it. "If things got carried away...I think you might kill the person." His smiled suddenly disappeared, replaced with a grim look. "That's how I almost killed you."

Vella released his hands, throwing her arms around him tightly. Silent tears were threatening to spill, but she wouldn't allow them to. Damon knew she was emotional right now, but that didn't stop her from wanting to spare him from her feelings.

She pulled back after she knew she wouldn't tear up, and smiled at him. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

He returned her smile with a smile of his own. "Not in the last few minutes."

Vella leaned in to kiss Damon, when the door opened suddenly. Teresa emerged in the open doorway with a young man in tow. The young man was slender and tall, with short blond hair.

Vella thought he was kind of cute, but he seemed less than alert. She could smell alcohol permeating from his body, which made his less than alert state understandable.

Teresa nodded to Damon, who turned to walk away, but Vella grabbed his wrist and pulled him slightly.

"Where are you going?"

Damon was about to reply, but Teresa answered first.

"He has to leave, for the human's safety."

"Oh," she said with surprise. "Okay."

Damon gave her an apologetic look and left the room with Teresa. He didn't want to leave, but it was not for an unselfish reason. He was afraid if the human tried anything, he would become jealous.

The sound of the door closing sent a wave of terror through her. She knew it was an irrational fear. Fear of the unknown. Nonetheless, it was there.

"Aren't we supposed to be doing something here?" the young man asked her impatiently.

She turned quickly, blushing slightly. She had forgotten for a short moment that the man was even in the room.

"What's your name?" she asked, turning towards him.

The man looked shocked for a moment, then casually strolled up to her. "My name is, Adam," he said, putting his hand out for her to shake.

She took his hand hesitantly, shaking it gently, before releasing it. "Nice to meet you."

"So I take it this is your first time here?" he asked curiously.

"Uh, ya," she replied nervously.

He studied her for a moment, then smiled. "I'm ready any time you are."

She looked at him nervously, not sure what to do.

Adam noticed her hesitation and took her hand. He led her to one of the chairs and sat down.

"Is this easier?" he asked. "I know I'm a little tall."

She nodded her head silently, not sure what to do next.

"You don't have to worry about hurting me, I'm used to it."

She made to step closer, but hesitated.

"You can bite me wherever you want."

She almost turned her nose up at the prospect of biting the man. It was way more fun for her food to be afraid of her before she attacked it. This was not appealing to her whatsoever. The only thing she was happy about was that the blood would be fresh and warm, unlike the donated blood from the blood bank.

Vella reached out to take Adam's hand, looking at his wrist. She noticed a couple of tiny scars, but they didn't seem very recent.

"Where would you prefer I bite you, Adam?"

He looked at her strangely. "Wherever it is you want to."

She blushed for a quick second, dropping his hand. She moved closer to him, breathing in his scent. It wasn't nearly as exciting as hunting, but the smell and sound of the blood was exactly the same.

She leaned closer to his neck, searching for the right spot to bite. It seemed like a lifetime ago since she had bitten someone so carefully. When she was happy she had the correct spot, her fangs came out and she lunged for the man's neck. She had found the perfect spot with little effort.

She drank from him slowly, trying to savour the taste for as long as she could. The man was uttering quiet moans of pleasure, which she tried very unsuccessfully to ignore.

Once Vella was finished feeding, she pulled away as quickly as she could, feeling a little ashamed. She looked at Adam, thanking him and rushed for the door. She assumed Damon must have been listening, because the door flew open before she was able to grab the handle herself, and he was standing there, smiling at her.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked teasingly..

She narrowed her eyes then rolled them. "Yes."

Damon took her hand, leading towards the exit. Past the bars, filled with humans and vampires talking quietly, drinking.

Vella stopped suddenly, just before they were about to go through the exit, letting go of Damon's hand. She glanced around for a moment, searching for something she could sense, but not really see.

"What is it, love?" Damon asked worried.

Vella shook her head. "Nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Damon put his arm around her, ushering her out the exit. He didn't want to be here any longer than he had to be, and he was worried. He had no idea what Vella had thought she sensed, but he figured it could only lead to trouble, whatever it was. He knew she was still being controlled by her impulses and he didn't intend on giving in to them if he could help it.

They walked outside, both getting into the car. Damon was once again in the driver's seat, much to Vella's chagrin. She argued with him more out of habit than a want or need to drive. If she was honest, she would have told him she didn't know the way home from where they were, but she didn't want him to know that. She liked to keep him on his toes and secretly she knew Damon liked it that way.

"You're not taking me home, are you?" Vella asked. It was more of a demand, than a question.

Damon looked at her suspiciously. "Why?"

"It's still early, Damon. I wanna go out," she stated with a slight whine.

He wanted to refuse her, but he wanted to take her out too. He wanted to show everyone they were back together again, but he also knew there might be repercussions if he did. He was most worried about her impulse control, but he hated to keep bringing it up. He didn't want Vella to feel negatively towards herself.

"Where did you have in mind?"

"The Grill."

He thought about it for a moment, then decided to agree, very reluctantly.

"If you think you can handle it."

"I do, Damon. I'm fed, the voices are quiet and I just feel like going out."

He smiled at her lovingly and nodded his head. He really hoped he wouldn't regret this.

**A/N: Ok, yes I know. If you've read the Nightworld series, you might have drawn some parallels to the bar I wrote about. I just couldn't think of a different symbol lol. And so you know, there was a point to that little detour. You will see soon. I haven't begun writing the next chapter but I have many ideas, so hopefully won't be too long before I have it written.**

**Thanks so much for reading!**


	78. Chapter 78

Chapter 78 ~ Breakdown

The drive to The Grill seemed to go by way too slowly for Vella. She wasn't as impatient as she had been, but her mind wasn't as chaotic and busy, like it had been before she had fed. With her mind so quiet, she had to find something else to keep her from noticing the time crawling by.

She was a little upset that Damon wouldn't make small talk with her. She wasn't sure why, but he seemed to be acting strange. She could only hope that it was only her imagination.

As the car pulled up to a parking spot in front of The Grill, Vella began to feel excited. She had to remind herself that everything was intensified, so she could calm herself down. She definitely didn't want to be out of control around so many people.

Damon got out of the car, walking to the back of the car and leaned on the trunk. He watched as Vella got out and walked towards him, smiling brightly.

"Should I be worried?" he asked with a smirk.

"About what?" she asked innocently.

"Answering my question with a question. That never bodes well."

Vella smiled, approaching him slowly. She grabbed a hold of the front of his jacket with both hands, staring into his eyes. "You're not nice teasing me like this."

He smiled, setting his hands on her hips. "I know. But it's fun."

She rolled her eyes lightly, leaned closer to him and kissed his cheek gently. "I know you're worried, but I'm fine."

"Then promise me something?"

Without hesitation, she nodded her head in agreement.

"The moment you have any problems or feel yourself losing any control, I want you to tell me."

"Absolutely."

Damon smiled and took her hand, leading her towards the entrance to The Grill. He was trying his best to be optimistic about the whole situation, but he couldn't lie to himself. He felt really uncomfortable bringing her to a busy public place so soon. He didn't even understand why she wanted to go out so badly, but he was afraid to ask. Her state of mind was fragile at best. He hoped that as long as he kept a close eye on her everything would be fine.

Vella noticed Damon's hesitation, but unless she really stopped to consider his feelings, she didn't really care. All she cared about was satisfying her immediate need, which was for companionship and possibly something more.

They walked in The Grill and headed straight for two empty stools at the bar. Damon ordered them both a drink, while Vella scanned the room.

She was happy to see some familiar faces, but even happier she didn't see any sign of John. She wasn't sure how that might go if he did show up.

Vella was happy to sit at the bar for a short time, having a couple of drinks. It helped to quiet the remaining cravings she had, as well as getting used to being around a crowd once again. But she wasn't happy to sit for long, she wanted to do something.

It was impulsive, but she wanted to play pool. She noticed Jeremy was playing with some guy she didn't know, so she got up and walked over to them.

Jeremy hadn't been paying attention when she approached, he was too busy shooting. But as he finished his shot, he stood up and almost jumped backwards in surprise.

"Vella!" he said loudly. "I didn't expect to see you here tonight."

Vella smiled happily. "I was hoping you would play a game or two with me."

The guy who had been playing with Jeremy gave Vella a dirty look. "We're playing right now," he said rudely.

Vella turned to him grinning and stared into his eyes, compelling him without a second thought. "Now you're done playing and want to go home."

The guy looked dazed for a moment, before turning to Jeremy. He uttered a quick "Bye," and left The Grill in a hurry.

"Uh, Vella?" Jeremy said.

"Yes?"

"Do you realize what you did to him?"

She realized what she had done, but she didn't see a problem with it.

Damon walked up to her, putting his arm around her before she could say anything else.

"Maybe this was a bad idea," he whispered in her ear quietly.

She looked at him with disappointment, frowning slightly. "I just wanted to..." She stopped midsentence, her brow furrowing. It had taken her a minute to realize why Jeremy and Damon had a problem with what she had done, but now that she realized she felt slightly embarrassed.

"I'm so sorry, Jer," she said with remorse.

He smiled and nodded. "It's okay. He was kind of a douche anyway."

A knowing look passed between Damon and Jeremy, as Damon led Vella towards an empty bench seat. Normally, he would have sat across from her so he could look into her face more easily, but not tonight. He sat down beside her just in case she did something foolish.

"I'm sorry, Damon," she apologized. "Maybe you were right."

He sighed lightly, taking her hand into his. "You didn't really do anything wrong."

Vella didn't believe him, but she wanted to. She could tell he was disappointed. But what she wasn't sure was if he was disappointed in her, or himself. She didn't want him to feel badly because of something she did.

As she felt herself becoming increasingly frustrated, she decided it was time to go. She was about to let Damon know, when Jenna walked up to the table.

"Vella!" she exclaimed, sitting down across from her. "I'm surprised to see you here tonight."

Vella smiled at Jenna happily, though her happiness was short lived, when Alaric came to the table and sat down beside Jenna.

"How are you doing?" Jenna asked, oblivious to the growing tension at the table.

Vella squeezed Damon's hand and gave him a supportive smile. She could tell he was uncomfortable with Alaric's presence, and truthfully, she was too. She never really had a chance to resolve what had happened between them before her whole world was turned upside down again. Now here she was, on edge, and in this awkward situation. All she could do was hope for the best of a bad situation.

Jenna began to discuss her wedding with Vella, while Damon and Alaric sat awkwardly silent, and drank. Until Jenna wanted to discuss something with Vella privately, asking Damon and Alaric to leave the table for a short time.

Vella did her best to pay attention to Jenna, but it was difficult. She was trying to figure out if Jenna knew what was going on with her, but she knew she didn't, even if someone had told her, no one could really understand. She wouldn't even be able to explain it if someone asked her to. There were no words she could think of to explain it, except hell.

She was about to ask Jenna if they could discuss this later, when she spied something of interest. She looked over at Damon, who didn't seem to be paying attention, excused herself and got up from the table, walking towards the bathrooms.

With a huge devious grin on her face, she crept up behind a man, like she was stalking prey, and poked him in the back. She watched with the same grin as he turned around in shock and disbelief.

"Hello, John," she said smirking. "I bet you didn't expect to see me here, now did you?"

John backed away slightly, narrowing his eyes and trying to play it cool. "No, I didn't."

"Next time you should make sure someone doesn't have vampire blood in their system before trying to murder them."

"I should have expected this would happen."

Vella narrowed her eyes, looking at John menacingly. "I will be making you pay for what you've done to me, John. You can bet on that."

"Don't forget what will happen to you and the Salvatore brothers if something happens to me," he said smiling evilly.

"Oh, I didn't forget, John. On the contrary, I have plans for you."

John snorted incredulously. "I'm not afraid of you, Vella."

She smirked evilly. "That may be, but you should be this time. I'm not stable. And, I have an even deeper hate for you now."

John's smile faded slowly from his face as he backed up another step.

Vella laughed. "If I were you I would think twice about what you say to me right now, John. If I hadn't fed already I doubt I would have any self control." She glanced at his throat and licked her lips slowly. "A shame I can't rip your throat out without hurting myself. I can't imagine anything more enjoyable."

"Go ahead, take a taste. I don't think it would agree with you."

"Even without vervain I doubt I could stand tasting you, John."

"You'll never know."

Vella was trying very hard to control herself, but she was finding it so difficult she wanted to scream loudly in frustration. As much as she hated John, she knew killing him would only make things worse for her, but that didn't stop her from wanting to kill him so badly she could taste it.

She was about to say more, when Damon came up behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"I think you better leave, John," Damon stated frankly, narrowing his eyes.

John smirked, trying to look confident. "I think it would be wise if you kept a leash on her."

Damon felt Vella's muscles tense up, so he pulled her closer.  
"After what you did to her, John, You're lucky I haven't ripped out your heart myself," he replied menacingly.

John straightened up, trying to look confident. He gave a sideways glance to Damon and Vella as he walked back into the main room.

Damon watched him leave before attempting to speak to Vella.

"I think we better go now," Damon said as he took her hand.

Vella wanted to refuse, but she knew it was for the best. She was at the edge of her self control and wasn't sure how much more she could take before she exploded with rage.

She allowed Damon to lead her out of The Grill and back to the car without so much as a goodbye to anyone. She got into the car, closing the door and turned her head so she could watch out the window and not at Damon.

Damon began to drive towards home, trying to choose his words carefully before speaking to Vella. Her state of mind seemed way too fragile and he knew he wasn't always the most tactful person. But he didn't get the chance to think before she started to talk.

"I'm sorry, Damon," she said turning to face him.

He glanced over at her, furrowing his brow.

"What are you sorry for, Vella?"

She looked at him thoughtfully, while pondering the question. What exactly was she sorry for? She realized she didn't even know why she was sorry, she just knew it was the right thing to say.

"I don't know."

Damon let out a long sigh and shook his head. He didn't want to discuss anything in the car, but he didn't want to upset her further.

"Can we talk about this when we get home?"

"Sure," she replied with hesitation, turning back to look out the window.

Neither of them spoke the rest of the way home, or as they walked into the house. Damon headed for the livingroom and poured himself a drink, while Vella followed behind him, but stopped just inside the doorway.

"Are you ready to talk now?" Vella asked impatiently.

Damon drank back his shot of scotch he had just poured for himself, slammed the glass on the table and turned to Vella looking very sour.

"Did you figure out why you apologized to me earlier?"

She looked at him with surprise. She wasn't sure why he seemed to be so angry.

"Yes. I disappointed you."

He closed his eyes for a moment, quietly sighing. "I'm not disappointed in you. I'm disappointed in myself."

Vella frowned for a moment, before becoming angry. "Quit it, Damon! I'm not going to sit here and listen to you berating yourself over my actions."

"I shouldn't have let you talk me into taking you to The Grill tonight. I knew it was wrong, I knew it was a mistake. It was too early for you to be around so many people. But I did it anyway."

"Since when did you become my babysitter? I don't recall that in our wedding vows?"

"Vella..."

"No! I'm not going to have you treat me like a child."

"So instead, I should let you slaughter people in public?"

"That's not fair," she retorted, lowering her voice.

Damon walked over to her, holding her by the arms so she would be forced to look at him.

"Tell me how you feel?"

She looked at him curiously. "About what?"

He rolled his eyes impatiently. "About anything."

"Like what?"

"I should have seen it earlier, but I was too distracted."

"What are you getting at, Damon?"

Damon pulled her closer, kissing her softly, then pulled back again, looking sadly. "I should have noticed before what you were doing, but I guess i didn't want to."

Vella pulled herself free of his grip, looking confused. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

He looked at her completely dejected. "You're closing it all off. Your emotions. What you say and what you do are not the same."

She looked at him with surprise, but she didn't deny it. She was closing herself off. If she didn't, she was sure she would go insane. The guilt, the sadness, the anger, those were only part of it. But the worst part was feeling them all at once, crashing down on her like a waterfall, and so intensely she couldn't even think straight.

She turned around so she wouldn't have to look at him, tears welling up in her eyes. But it didn't last long. She forced herself not to feel anything, wiping her eyes. She couldn't face him because she knew what he was going to say, and she didn't want to hear it.

Damon closed the gap between them, grabbing her roughly and forced her to turn around. Vella looked into his eyes for a moment, before looking away. She couldn't stand to see him hurting. The sorrow and pain so obviously showing in his eyes. But she wasn't sure what she could do to alleviate his suffering, other than doing the one thing he wanted, the one thing she just couldn't.

"Why are you doing this, Vella?" he asked harshly. His anger came out of his fear for her.

She looked at him pleadingly, but she didn't want to answer him. She could barely admit it to herself, so how could she admit it to him? She shrugged her shoulders, but didn't answer.

Damon looked at her sadly, fighting back tears. He didn't want her to admit to anything just because he was upset. He wanted a clear answer with no coercion. But fighting back the fear and sadness, meant turning to his anger and frustration.

"You need to stop this right now!" he screamed, shaking her roughly.

She looked at him fearfully, shaking her head. It wasn't just fear, it was an irrational and intense terror.

"I can't!" she screamed.

"Why, Vella?" he asked desperately.

Vella laid her head on his chest, allowing him to wrap his arms around her. She began to sob, slowly at first, until she was crying uncontrollably. Damon wanted to do something more, but he wouldn't interrupt her. He figured she needed to cry. All he could do was hold her tightly and make her feel safe and secure.

It was several minutes before she was finally calm. Damon led her to the couch, sitting down close beside her, holding on to her hands. He looked into her eyes and felt a deep sorrow within them, haunting them. It hurt him to see her this way, but he wasn't sure how to help her. He was never very good at expressing his feelings or letting go of things, so he wasn't sure what advice he could give her.

"Vella?" he started gently. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Her sad, blood shot eyes looked up, but she could barely stand to look straight into his eyes. She was afraid if she tried to talk, she would cry again, or worse, freak out.

"I don't but...I can't keep this up," she said, trying to fight back another wave of tears. "I hate it. I hate closing my emotions off, but if I don't...I'm afraid, afraid of what I'm feeling, or what I might do."

Damon squeezed her hands gently in support.

I don't want to be like this, Damon," she said, while silent tears began falling from her eyes. "I don't want to feel everything this way. So intensely. The guilt, the guilt is the worst part. I hate what I did to that man, it keeps haunting my every thought."

"I don't understand something, Vella. You were a vampire before, you felt things intensely. What is the difference now?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe it's the hunger. It drives me much more now that it did before. All I know is I'm having trouble controlling myself and I hate it."

Damon smiled supportively and pulled her towards him. He wrapped his arms around her, laying his head on her shoulder.

He began to speak in a whisper. "I'm sorry, Vella. I really am. I hate that you're hurting this way. I wish I could do something to take all the pain away."

She squeezed him tightly, trying to bury herself in his secure embrace. "I know," she whispered. "And that's why I love you."

"We'll get through this together, love. I promise you."

"I know," she answered, closing her eyes, giving herself up to her mental and physical exhaustion.

**A/N: I swear I'm getting somewhere with this. it might just take some time. Hopefully this next chapter will be much longer and hopefully done sooner too.**

**Thanks so much for reading!**


	79. Chapter 79

Chapter 79 ~ An Unexpected Ally

Vella opened her eyes, to find she was in her bed. She didn't remember how she got there, but she assumed Damon must have carried her to bed. She looked around, noticing the sun peeking out just slightly from a corner of the curtains, so she knew she had slept all night. She looked at her watch, which said it was a few minutes before noon. Listening, she didn't hear any noises downstairs, so she got up, took a shower and got dressed.

After searching the livingroom and kitchen, with no sign of Damon, she went to the basement to grab a bag of blood and took it upstairs to warm it up, before drinking it. Her hunger was satiated, quieting down to a gentle murmur at the back of her mind.

Since no one was around, she took the opportunity to sneak out of the house, running to her cabin. She had only intended on gathering up her mother's journals and spell books, but she ended up packing some other things as well. On the way out of the house, she cast a simple spell to keep unwanted intuders out, in case someone tried to break in.

When Vella arrived home, she noticed Damon's car was back in the driveway. She prepared herself for an onslaught of admonishments as she walked into the livingroom, but he practically ignored her as he took a drink of scotch.

She set her box of books and bag of clothes on the floor by the couch and approached him slowly. She could tell by the look on his face he wasn't happy, but she couldn't tell if it was because she left the house without him, or another reason.

"What's wrong, Damon?" she asked with concern.

Damon looked at her and smiled. "Nothing for you to worry about."

She knew he was lying and she was angry, but she wasn't in the mood for a fight. She was feeling much more calm than she had since her transition and she wasn't about to ruin it so soon. Instead, she walked to the box of books, pulled one out and sat down on the couch to read, completely ignoring Damon.

Damon was confused by Vella's reaction. He had been expecting, at the very least, a follow up question.

"You know, this is usually the part where you tell me not to keep things from you."

Vella set her book in her lap and looked over at him. She might have found his attitude amusing, if she wasn't convinced she didn't want to hear what was going on.

"And isn't this the part where you ask me why I left the house and where I went?"

He rolled his eyes with a hint of a smirk, before looking more seriously again.

"We have to talk."

Vella released a long sigh, staring at him intently. "Then talk."

"I got a call from Sheriff Forbes this morning, which is why I left you alone," he began to explain. "She wanted to know what happened the other night. With the dead vampire, a dead man at a motel and the missing man from the morning before."

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her it was probably the vampire who killed the men, but I had no idea who the vamp was or why he was in town."

"Did she buy it?"

"Yes, she bought it. Who do you thing you're talking to?" he asked with a grin.

She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Then what's the problem?"

"The problem is, she doesn't know you're a vampire again. And if I tell her, she might put two and two together."

Vella snorted. "Yeah, and make five."

"I'm being serious here, Vella. I think you need to come clean. Tell them what happened. Maybe let them know where the missing man's body is so the family could have closure."

"What?" she yelled, flabbergasted. "Are you serious?"

"Completely serious."

She narrowed her eyes at him angrily. "You've been talking to your brother, haven't you?"

He sighed, knowing where she was going with her question. "I happen to agree with him."

"Well now, that's a first, isn't it?" she asked sarcastically.

"Stop changing the subject."

"Why the hell would you want me to confess? Do you want them to put a stake through my heart?"

He sighed, looking at her sadly. "Of course not. This has nothing to do with them."

"Then why?"

Damon walked over to the couch, sat down beside her and took her hand. "I thought that would be obvious...I'm worried about you. Your state of mind. Maybe if you confess you will be able to get past it."

She snorted incredulously, ripping her hand from his. "I think you're the one who's lost their mind."

Damon watched as she closed her book, grabbed her bag and box and walked upstairs. His impulse was to follow her, but he knew better. She needed some time alone to think, at least that's what he was hoping would happen. He had planted the seed, now he just had to wait and hope she would water it.

Vella walked into the bedroom she shared with Damon, placed her stuff on the bed and slammed the door. She threw herself on to the bed next to her stuff, burying her face in her comforter. She was angry and upset, but mostly she felt betrayed. She couldn't believe, of all people, Damon would side against her.

After some crying, she dozed off for a short time. When she opened her eyes, she found she was underneath the blankets and her stuff was placed neatly on the dresser. She smiled, climbing out of bed and brushed her hair. Looking at her watch, she realized it was only late afternoon. She was happy she hadn't slept all afternoon after already sleeping late that day. But when she began to think about why she had been in her room in the first place, she began to feel anxious and upset. She tried to push it out of her mind, but that was no longer easy for her to do.

After some initial hesitation, she decided to go downstairs. She could hear movement and talking, but there was too much background noise for her to tell who it was. It wasn't until she was just outside the livingroom, she realized who it was.

Vella leaned against the wall, just out of sight of the doorway leading to the livingroom, clenching her hands into fists tightly, closing her eyes. She was trying to remain calm, but all she felt was white hot rage. She knew she couldn't allow herself to react this way, but it was taking a lot of willpower to keep herself from running into the room.

After several minutes, she was finally able to open her eyes and remain calm. She unclenched her blood stained fingers, watching the marks her nails had made in her palms, heal before her eyes. She took a few deep breaths, steadied herself and walked through the livingroom's threshhold.

She noticed Damon was looking at her concerned, so she assumed he had known she was standing outside the room. She wouldn't have expected anything different.

"Hello, Liz," Vella said greeting the town's sheriff, walking over to the alcohol and pouring herself a drink. She knew she was going to need it.

"Hello, Vella," Liz greeted her stifly.

Damon smiled at Vella, walking over to her. Putting his arms around her waist, he pulled her close and kissed her lightly in greeting. "How was your nap?"

She smiled, trying to keep herself calm. She remembered the reason she had gone upstairs and fell asleep in the first place had something vaguely to do with the sheriff. "I didn't realize I was still so tired."

He smiled supportively, hoping to keep her calm. "Liz stopped by to talk to you. She was hoping you had some information for her."

She looked at Damon curiously, almost apprehensively. She knew he was trying to hint at something, but she wasn't sure about what. All she could do was listen and do her best not to react.

"Damon, was telling me," Liz began, while turning to Vella. "That you knew the vampire who we found dead early the other morning."

Vella thought for a moment, trying to choose her words carefully. "I knew of him."

She gave her a curious look. "What was he doing in Mystic Falls?"

"I have no idea, Liz," she replied, trying to bite her tongue, but she couldn't hold herself back. "I didn't have time to ask him while he was trying to kill me."

"Vella!" Damon called in surprise.

Vella glared at him angrily, then turned back to Liz, speaking more calmly. "Ask John Gilbert why he was here."

"John? What does he have to do with a vampire?" Liz asked in surprise. She hadn't forgotten what Vella had said, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to ask her more about it.

"He was the one who asked him to come to town. Other than killing me, I'm not sure what other ulterior motives he had. I didn't have time to ask before I killed him."

"You were the one who killed him?" Liz asked in surprise. "But I thought you..."

"Thought what? That I was helpless?" Vella laughed sarcastically. "You are aware I'm a witch, right?"

She looked at her shrewdly, but decided not to push her any further. "I'm sorry. I forgot."

"Is there anything else you need, Liz?"

"No. Thank you for your time, Vella," she replied as sincerely as possible.

Vella nodded at Liz, then walked into the kitchen, while Damon walked the sheriff to the door. She looked in the fridge, but didn't see anything she felt like eating. She knew what she wanted, but she couldn't have it. Slamming the fridge door, she walked back into the livingroom and poured herself a drink. She noticed Damon watching her, but she was more than a little frustrated with him.

"Are you going to ignore me?" Damon asked.

Vella turned and glanced in his direction with a scowl. "Would you be happier if I was yelling at you?"

"I think I would be."

She rolled her eyes and sighed, taking a drink. "How did you think that was going to turn out? Did you think I was going to spill my heart to her? Or beg for forgiveness or some other foolish thing?"

Damon walked over to her and snatched the drink from her hands. "I didn't plan that. She just showed up."

Vella narrowed her eyes and grabbed her drink back from Damon, drinking what was left in the glass. "Don't do that again, Damon. I'm teetering on the edge of control right now."

"I don't think the drink is going to help."

"Then what will, Damon? You seem to be an expert at self control," she said snorting.

"Sarcasm isn't going to help either."

"Why don't you tell me what will?"

"Sit down with me so we can talk."

Vella shook her head, rolling her eyes with sarcasm. She couldn't believe he was trying to be a shrink. She didn't need a shrink, she needed to feel normal again, and no amount of talking was going to help with that.

Damon reached out to grab her hand, but she slapped it out of the way. Frustrated, he tried to grab her arm with his other hand, but she noticed what he was doing and moved out of the way. He didn't give up though. He tried once again to grab a hold of her, but this time she pushed him back so forcefully, he flew a few feet backwards, tripped on the rug and fell to the floor.  
It was only seconds that he sat on the floor comtemplating the situation. He had forgotten how quick and agile she was, but he wouldn't give up. He ran at her once again, but instead of trying to fight, she used her magic, sending him falling to the ground clutching his head in pain.

Vella stood over him, taking pleasure in the pain she was inflicting. But in moments, she stopped, slumped onto the couch and began to cry hysterically.

Damon got up from the floor, shaking his head. He wanted to be angry with Vella, but he couldn't be. He knew she didn't mean to hurt him, she just couldn't control herself. He approached her slowly, making a mental note to start carrying a vervain dart with him until he knew she was able to control herself. Sitting down on the couch beside her, he put his arm around her and pulled her close. She seemed like she was about to fight him, but she didn't. She allowed him to hold her while she cried herself out.

Vella woke up the next morning feeling ashamed. She noticed Damon wasn't in the bed with her, so she expected the worst. They had spent most of the evening and night talking, but in her mind, nothing had been resolved. She still felt the same, on edge. But worst of all, she still felt shame for the pain she had inflicted on Damon the day before.

After talking herself into getting out of bed, she noticed her phone sitting on the nightstand. Normally she didn't bother with it until she had showered and gotten dressed, but for some reason she reached for it. She noticed she had a text message, but couldn't tell who the sender was. The message read; '_Meet me at the grill around 10:30 this morning, please. ~ J.S._'

Who the hell is J.S.? she wondered. The only person she knew with those inititals was Jenna. But she knew her phone number, this number she didn't recognize.

Vella decided to forget about it for the moment, instead she showered and got dressed, going downstairs to find some blood. After eating, her mind had quieted, making her able to concentrate on the strange text.

Before making a decision, she looked around for Damon, but once again he seemed to be out. She was starting to become irritated with his constant morning absences. Since he wasn't around, she figured she would go to The Grill and satisfy her curiosity at least. She wasn't foolish though. She was on guard. She knew whoever it was that wanted to meet her might have something to do with John Gilbert and she wasn't going to let him get the best of her. She scribbled a hasty note for Damon, then headed to The Grill.

As Vella parked her car in the parking lot, she felt a strange sensation. It took her a moment to realize it was the same one she felt the night she went to the vampire club. Now she was really curious who it was who had texted her. She walked into The Grill and sat down at the bar. It was still early in the morning and there were very few people sitting down. Mostly it was filled with staff cleaning and getting ready for the day.

"Hey, Vella," Matt called as he approached the bar.

"Hey, Matt. How are you?"

"I'm good. How are you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm perfectly fine, Matt."

"Where's Damon?"

She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "Not sure."

Matt looked at her apprehensively. "I gotta get back to work." he replied, quickly walking away.

Vella grinned at Matt with amusement. It shouldn't have felt amusing to have him afraid of her, but it was. She chuckled quietly, then glanced around the room again. She was becoming increasingly impatient with every second that passed, which was making it more difficult to keep herself under control. But before long, she felt that strange sensation again, the one she had felt at the vampire club and again when she had arrived at The Grill. It felt like it was getting closer to her vicinity and the closer it got, the more she understood what the feeling was. It was the presence of someone she had known and cared about in her past, she just wasn't sure exactly who it was.

"Vella," the male voice called softly behind her.

Vella turned and stood up in one fluid motion. She was shocked by who was standing in front of her. So much so, she almost fell backwards.

"Jason!" she exclaimed, hugging him without thinking.

Jason hugged her, then stepped back, smiling. "It's great to see you, Vella."

"It's been so long. How have you been?" she asked, smiling back.

"Why don't we sit at a table so we can talk?"

"Sure. I gotta get something first. You go sit, I will be with you in a second."

Jason walked to a nearby table, while Vella waved the bartender over to her.

"What do you need?" the bartender asked.

"Get me a coke, but I want you to put some vodka in it."

The bartender shook his head. "I can't do that, I'm not allowed to serve alcohol this early."

Vella stared intently into his eyes, compelling him. "Get me that drink and don't get caught doing it."

Once Vella broke her gaze with him, the bartender poured her drink, handing it to her, then walked away. She walked over to the booth table Jason had chosen to sit at, sitting down across from him.

"I still can't believe it's you," she said with amazement. "At least I know who J.S. is now. Jason Stark."

He smiled at her. "I know, it's been way too long."

"Hey, wait a minute. How did you get my cell number?"

He chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "You should know the answer to that."

She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Same old, Jason."

"I wish I was," he said sadly. "I even wish I could say I was here to catch up on old times, but I can't."

"Why are you here than?" she asked seriously.

"Let me start off by saying I know what you are. I seen you the other night at the club." Vella looked ashamed but he kept speaking. "I am not a vampire, but I do hang with them, so I hear things."

He paused for a moment, which was a cue for Vella to finish her drink. She wanted another but she couldn't risk the bartender getting caught and having no explanation to why he just had to give her a drink.

"I know you're having problems with a man named John Gilbert and I want to help."

"What?" she asked startled.

"I know about John and I want to help," he repeated, even though he was sure she had heard him.

Vella looked at him seriously and asked him to hush for a moment. She cast a simple spell so no one could listen in on their conversation, unless they were invited to. Once it was set, she had to satisfy her curiosity.

"How could you help us, Jason?"

He beamed at her proudly. "By doing what I do best."

She smirked. "I'm not sure how that can help."

"You just don't know what I know," he said and winked playfully.

She rolled her eyes impatiently. "Will you just tell me how a hacker is going to help me with my problems?"

"You wound me," he said jokingly. "I'm more than a mere hacker my dear." She gave him an impatient look. "I know John has information on you. I want to offer my services to you. To retrieve it."

Vella looked at him suspiciously. "How do you know so much about this?"

"It doesn't matter how, just that I do. I want to help you. I owe you that much, Vella."

She shook her head in disagreement. "You don't owe me anything."

"That's where you're wrong," he said, laying his hands on her closed hands. "I wouldn't be where I am in life if it hadn't been for you. You cared about me when no one else did. You loved me even when you shouldn't have. You saved me from myself and nothing I could ever do would be enough to make up for that. But I want to try."

Silent tears had formed in Vella's eyes while Jason had been speaking. She hadn't really thought about him in a long time, but the memories they shared together were flooding back to her. The times she cried with him, because his parents abused him. The times she helped him get out of trouble, because she felt bad for him. The times she saved him from the brink of committing suicide. And the times she spent trying to convince him he could accomplish anything if he only tried, no matter how many times he was told he was useless.

"I only told you that you were worth something, Jason. You were the one that followed through and made something of your life."

"No one ever told me I could do anything, other than be bad. You believed in me. You can deny it all you want, but if not for your friendship, I wouldn't even be here."

Jason paused and was about to say more, but he looked up to see a figure standing behind Vella, staring menacingly in his direction.

Vella turned suddenly, noticing Damon standing behind them. She pulled her hands away from Jason, trying not to look guilty. She was about to say something, when she realized she had to break the spell she had cast, or he wouldn't hear anything she had to say. Once the spell was broken, she moved over in the booth, encouraging Damon to sit beside her.

Damon hesitated for a moment, looking back and forth from the strange man to his wife, before sitting down beside her.

"Damon," Vella said. "This is Jason. Jason, this is my husband, Damon."

Jason stuck out his hand, which Damon shook, but only hesitantly. He didn't know what had been going on, but it seemed intense and emotional and he was feeling jealous.

"I'm sorry, Vella, but I need to go for now," Jason said sincerly. "Can I come over to your house so we can discuss this further?"

"Sure," she replied quickly.

"Good. I will stop by tonight, around eight...if that's okay with you and Damon."

Damon was about to object, but Vella gave him a serious look that told him not to.

"Of course, Jason. You know where I live, right?"

He nodded his head in agreement, stood up and walked out of The Grill, leaving Vella still as curious as ever.

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, been having some writer's block.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	80. Chapter 80

Chapter 80 ~ A Tenative Plan

Damon sat at the table beside Vella, watching Jason leave The Grill. Many questions were running through his head at once, but he wasn't sure which to ask first. He knew he had to be careful, since her moods were still unstable and after all, they were in public. After much indecision, he decided on the easy way out.

"What was that all about?" Damon asked, trying not to sound defensive.

Vella wasn't sure she wanted to explain right here, right now, or even at all. She wasn't sure how her husband would react, even though it had all been completely innocent.

"Can we talk about this at home?"

Damon was going to object, after all there was almost no one around at the moment, but he figured he would let her have her way...this time.

"Let's go."

Since they had both driven their cars to The Grill, both Vella and Damon drove home alone.

The drive home gave Damon time to be inside his head, which wasn't really the best thing. He was imagining all kinds of reasons Vella had been meeting with Jason, and each was worse than the last. The only thng that didn't occur to him was why she would have left him a note telling him exactly where to find her if she had been trying to hide something. The truth was, he had been feeling very insecure since the Alaric incident, so he was unusually paranoid. It didn't help that Vella was overly inpulsive since becoming a vampire once again. It only added to his insecurity.

When they arrived home, Damon headed straight to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a drink, while Vella sat on the couch and waited for him. Once he had finished the contents of his glass, he sat on the couch beside his wife and waited for her to explain.

Vella looked at Damon strangely. She was trying to decipher his mood, but he seemed to be hiding it very well. She figured the only thing she could do was tell him the truth and hope it didn't upset him too much.

"I got a text this morning," she began. "I wasn't sure who it was, but something told me I should meet with them. I was really surprised when Jason showed up, telling me he was the one who sent me the text." Damon opened his mouth to ask a question, then closed it. Vella continued, pretending she didn't notice. "He knows what I am, Damon. He saw us at the club the other night."

Damon stood up, feeling uneasy. He didn't think he could handle any more problems.

"Damon, sit down, please."

He studied her face, which was relatively calm. Since she didn't seem to be alarmed, he decided to sit back down and wait for an explanation.

"He's not a vampire, Damon. He just hangs with them. He's actually an old friend of mine."

"I've never heard you mention this person before," he said defensively.

Vella smiled at Damon, taking his hand. "I haven't told you everything about my life, Damon. Just as you haven't told me everything about yours." She grinned. "I think it would take way too long for you to tell me everything about you," she chided.

Damon laughed sarcastically. "Don't change the subject."

She rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. "Fine. Long story short. He says he can help us with our John Gilbert problem."

He looked at her in shock for a moment, before looking suspicious. "How do you know he can be trusted...even if there was something he could do to help?"

Vella looked seriously. "It's a very long story, one that I don't really feel like getting into right now." She could tell Damon was about to say something, so she continued. "But, I will tell you enough. As long as you promise not to flip out."

He narrowed his eyes, studying her face. She seemed to be sincere, so he figured he could agree.

"I promise."

She relaxed a little, smiling. "I've known Jason since I was little. He used to live down the street from my house, so we would play together. He didn't have a lot of friends, because he was an angry boy. His parents used to abuse him. Called him names, beat him, sometimes they locked him up in the closet or didn't feed him as a punishment." She paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "As he got older, he did worse things to act out. He got in trouble with the law often. But I was still his friend, through everything. In fact, he was the only reason Mara and I ever fought. It wasn't that she didn't understand, but she was afraid he would drag me down. But I stayed friends with him and I helped him out. He was so smart. The two of us use to hack computers, but he was really the one who taught me everything." She paused again, smiling. "It took a lot of hard work, but I finally got him to apply himself in school and he applied for a scholarship to university, which he got." She began to look distant, then stopped talking. She didn't want to go on, she didn't want to think of her grief and despair, it was too hard to handle right now.

"Why did you stop?" Damon asked with concern.

Vella looked at him sorrowfully. "The day he got the letter about his scholarship... was the day my parents were killed."

Damon pulled Vella close to him, holding her gently. "It's okay, love. If you don't want to talk anymore, it's fine."

She smiled up at him, pulling away slightly, but not breaking his hold. "No, it's okay. It just takes me a bit longer to get under control. I'm fine now."

"Are you sure?"

She smiled, kissing him lightly on the cheek. "Positive."

"Is there anything else you need to tell me?"

She sighed, biting her lip. "Remember your promise," she reminded him.

"Just get on with it," he teased her.

She rolled her eyes with a smile and blurted out, "Jason was my first."

Damon's eyes shot open wide, before he could curb his surprise. It took him a second to get control over his surprise, but by then it was already too late, he had already given himself away. She was smiling at him innocently as he tried his best to look stoic.

"I really didn't think it was important to tell you that, but I know you too well," she explained. "If I had kept it a secret, then you would have thought there was a reason to be suspicious."

Damon wasn't quite sure what to think by her admission. At the least, he felt he had been justified in feeling jealous when he had seen Jason holding his wife's hands. Add to that his insecurity and it made him even more indecisive.

"Don't you have anything to say?" she asked worried.

He knew what he wanted to say, but he didn't want to overreact. He had made a promise to her, after all.

"I don't understand what this guy could do to help us against, John," he said, averting his gaze.

"Damon, look at me," Vella pleaded.

Damon shifted his gaze until his eyes met hers. She pursed her lips, looking very serious.

"I'm not even going to ask if you're jealous, Damon. I can see it in your body language," she said, putting her hand up when he tried to interrupt. "You don't have anything to worry about. I haven't even had contact with Jason in years. The last time I saw him physically was the day of my parents funeral. After that, he sent a few letters from university and then nothing." She brushed her hand against his lips lightly, then held his face in her hand. "You have nothing to worry about. I love you, Damon."

Those three words, uttered from her mouth, was the only thing Damon needed to forget his insecurity and jealousy, instantly. He pulled her close to him, whispering, "I love you," then kissed her tenderly.

Vella held him tightly, kissing him with more fervor. Every time he touched her, or kissed her, she lost all impulse control. While Damon was almost as eager as she was, he was also aware they were in the livingroom where Stefan could walk in at any time. He decided he didn't care, tearing her shirt off as violently as she did to his. They kissed passionately, their hands grasping at each other wildly. Shallow scratches appeared on both of their backs, lightly bleeding, then healing quickly.

Vella tried to undo Damon's pants without ripping them, but she was in too much of a rush. Instead she knocked them both over onto the floor beside the couch, knocking the table over, with the items that were on the table falling onto the floor beside them. She stopped suddenly when she noticed the headline on the newspaper that had fallen to the floor.

"What's wrong?" Damon asked breathlessly.

Vella glanced at the newspaper again, before turning her gaze to Damon. "I can't do this right now," she replied, standing up and gathering up her ripped shirt, tears forming in her eyes.

Damon grabbed the newspaper, reading the headline, nodding in understanding. He stood up, grabbing a hold of Vella before she could take off, pulling her tight against him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked concerned.

She gazed in his eyes, fighting back tears. She didn't want to think about it, she didn't want to feel badly. She wanted to be in the state of ecstasy she was in only moments before, but she knew it wasn't going to happen until she resolved this situation.

"You were right," she said, narrowing her eyes. "Don't get used to hearing me admit that though."

He smiled lightly. "I wouldn't dream of it."

She smiled, wrapping her arms around him, letting her torn shirt fall to the ground. "I have to make what I did right. I have to help the family of the man I killed."

He kissed the top of her head lightly. "I'm glad. But what are you going to do?"

"Don't worry about it. I need to take care of it myself."

"As long as you're sure you don't need me to help."

She looked up into his eyes and smiled. "No. But there is something you can help me with."

"What's that?" he asked curiously.

She grinned, taking his hands. "Let's go upstairs."

It had been a long, emotional day for Vella, which wasn't going to get any easier as eight o' clock came around. After a trip to see Sheriff Forbes, where she 'helped' find the missing man's body. She went to the bank and transfered money into the family's bank account. Of course, she made sure the bank manager made the transfer untraceable and then made him forget completely. She didn't want anyone to know what she had done. None of it assuaged her guilt, but she hoped that in time it would at least help her atone for what she had done.

She arrived home shortly before eight, glad that Jason wasn't early. Damon was already upset she had wanted to do everything alone. She was afraid that if he had spent some time with Jason alone, it could only lead to something bad. She sat on the couch having a drink to calm herself, while Damon fussed over her. She found it sweet, but also irritating. She didn't need him to tell her when to eat or what to do, but she knew it was because he cared. That was all she needed to think about most of the time when her impulses tried to guide her to do something else, like scream her head off or break something. She didn't know what she would ever do without Damon. The thought always made her cringe inside.

Jason knocked on the door just after eight and Vella made sure she was the one who welcomed him. She walked him into the livingroom, offering him a drink, which he took gladly. He finally sat down on an offered chair while Damon and Vella sat on the couch in front of the chair. Before he began to speak, Stefan came downstairs and sat at a chair nearby. He introduced himself quickly, so he wouldn't be too intrusive.

Jason looked at Vella and Damon nervously. He wasn't quite sure where to begin now that he was here.

Damon was irritated, but he was doing his best to behave for Vella. He just wanted Jason to hurry up and tell them what he wanted to say and get out of the house. Vella had had a long day and he was worried about her state of mind. He really didn't think she could handle too much more.

"I don't want to get into too many details," Jason began nervously. "Not at the moment anyway. Not until I know more."

"Then why are you here?" Damon asked narrowing his eyes.

Vella glared at her husband, then turned back to Jason. "Just tell us what you know and how you can help us."

He nodded, smiling slightly. "I found out through some vampires, that this John Gilbert man had been asking around about a Vella Salvatore. At first, I didn't think too much of it, other than I knew a Vella and it's not really a common name." He stopped speaking for a moment, smiling, then noticing Damon's look he continued. "After I did some searching, I found the marriage license and knew that it was the same Vella I knew growing up, so I did my best to find out what he was up to."

Vella squeezed Damon's arm supportively. She knew he was irritated and couldn't really blame him.

"I'm not sure what Vella has told you about me," Jason said looking at Damon. "But I am what some people consider a computer hacker. I have worked for many companies and the government, helping them by making their websites hacker proof, usually by exploiting weaknesses in their security. I'm also a computer programmer, which is what I do more of these days." He paused for a moment, gauging the situation. What he was going to say might upset Damon and he was afraid to say the least. "I came back to Mystic Falls to visit family and old friends. And to be completely honest, I was hoping to see you, Vella."

Vella felt Damon tense up immediately. She made sure she had a good hold of his hand, hoping that she wouldn't have to do more than just restrain him. She didn't like to hurt him.

"I'm sorry, but it is true," he said to Damon, then turned to glance at Vella. "I already told you how I felt earlier today. You were the best thing that ever happened in my life and I had to let you know that. If it wasn't for you, I doubt I would even be here."

Tears were threatening to form in Vella's eyes. She had never realized the impact she had made in Jason's life until she had seen him today. In fact, she hadn't even thought about him in years. It made her happy that something as simple as being a friend to someone could make such a huge difference in their life.

"I don't think I can ever repay you for all you've done, but I'm going to try."

Damon couldn't sit and be silent anymore. He stood up and poured himself a drink, glaring at Jason. "When are you going to get to the part where you can help us?"

"Damon!" Vella chastised. "That's enough."

"It's okay, Vella," Jason said. "If I were him I would be upset too."

"That isn't the point," she replied.

"Let me get to the point then," Jason said, giving a sideways glance to Damon before continuing. "John has a lot of info on you, all of you," he said, looking at Stefan, then turning back to Vella once again. "I want to help you get rid of all of it. He has some on his computer, which will be easy to get rid of. But he also has some with a lawyer that he's instructed him to deliver to various people on the town council."

Damon sighed exaggeratedly. He was beginning to lose his patience. "How exactly will this help us?"

"Damon, will you just let him talk," Stefan said frustrated.

Damon narrowed his eyes at his brother, but said nothing.

"Well I'm not really an action type of guy," Jason said chuckling lightly. "But I figured if we know where everything is, you would find a way to get to it and destroy it."

"How are we going to know he doesn't have information hidden anywhere else?" Damon asked.

Jason laughed sarcastically. "John is not really as smart as he thinks he is. Everything he does he keeps track of in his computer, and he has really lousy security. Trust me, I can get to it. It's just going to take me some time."

"Uh, huh," Damon said. "And how do we know you can do this?"

Jason laughed again. "I could shut this country down if I felt like it," he boasted. "This is nothing."

"I want you to show us then. Show us something from John's computer."

Jason loved a good challenge and he didn't want to let Damon's challenge go to waste.

"I didn't bring my lap top with me."

Vella smiled, running vamp speed up to her bedroom, retrieving her lap top from her dresser and ran back downstairs, handing it to Jason.

"Nice lap top," he said with a smile.

"You know me, I like to be up to date," she said smiling back. "Even though I rarely use it much anymore."

"I bet you remember a lot of my lessons," he said, waiting for the computer to finish booting up.

Vella laughed. "Some. I'm sure you would find it more difficult to find information on my computer. I keep my files locked and I use a scrubber to keep my hard drive clean."

"I'm impressed," he said sarcastically. He noticed Damon seemed to be getting angrier, so he decided not to push any further. He kept his attention on the computer.

Vella stood behind Jason, watching everything he did. She noticed he first tried to hack into information that was on her computer, but he had no luck, so he moved on. She knew he could if he really tried, she knew he was one of the best. And if he really tried, he could get into it. She also knew he had only tried to see if she would notice. He had given up way too easily for it to be a serious attempt.

She watched as he hacked into John's computer. It was a long, slow and boring process, but she watched every second of it. She was in awe of his skill, but that wasn't why she had to watch. She was curious what would be found on John's computer.

Damon stood behind his wife. He would have liked to say it was for support, but he couldn't deny he was jealous. He knew his wife had reassured him that she was only interested in him, but he still felt Jason was a threat. They had shared something together that he didn't have with her, a long past.

It only took Jason a few minutes to get into John's computer. He began looking through several folders, looking for something that might contain relevant information. He found a folder named 'Vella', which made Jason laugh at how stupid John was. He opened it, to find several documents as well as a picture folder.

Vella's eyes were much quicker than a normal human eye. She noticed what some of the thumbnails in the folder were and hoped Jason wouldn't open them. She tried to stand in Damon's way as she saw Jason click on one. The larger picture that showed up was one of her kissing Alaric. She turned around looking at Damon, noticing the pain in his eyes. She gave him an apologetic look, laying a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off and walked over to the liquor to pour himself a drink.

"I think that's enough for tonight, Jason," Vella said shakily. She was fighting back tears.

Jason closed everything on her computer, then stood up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

Vella stuck up her hand, shaking her head. "It's okay."

"I'll call you tomorrow, if that's okay. I have a few other things to discuss with you."

"Sure."

He walked over to Stefan and shook his hand. "It was nice to meet you, Stefan."

Stefan shook his hand and nodded his head.

Jason turned around before leaving, to say goodbye to Damon. He knew he was upset and angry and he didn't really blame him. He hoped that it wouldn't always be that way, though. He cared about Vella too much to cause dischord between them.

Damon tried his best not to be rude, but between the ex-boyfriend and the picture of Vella and Alaric, it was just too much to handle. He turned his back and poured himself a drink.

Vella smiled at Jason apologetically as he turned to walk out. She walked over to Damon and laid a hand on his back.

"Are you okay?"

Damon sighed and turned around to face her. "I will be."

She laid her hand on his face and gazed deep into his eyes. "It's okay to be upset with me."

He placed his glass on the table and took her hands. "I'm not upset with you."

"I know you are. I know you too well by now, Mr. Salvatore."

He smiled slightly, then looked at her seriously. "I just don't know what all of this is going to do to help."

Vella smiled lightly, wrapped her hands around his waist and snuggled up against him. "It's been a long day, Damon. Let's think about everything and everyone else tomorrow."

Damon wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "That's the best advice I've heard in a long time."

**A/N: I have had a really bad case of writer's block recently. I know how I want the story to go, but for some reason the details are being difficult. In fact, I have a lot of ideas still, even past the whole John Gilbert stuff. Hopefully I will get there soon lol.**

**Btw, I really appreciate the reviews!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	81. Chapter 81

Chapter 81 ~ Imminent Danger

It was a rough time for Vella. If she had only been adjusting to her new life as an impulsive creature, that might have been somewhat easy to handle, since Damon was helping her though it. But with John Gilbert wanting to destroy her and the Salvatore brothers, and her old friend Jason, who had brought up a lot of old memories, nothing was easy for her anymore.

She had spent the next few days dealing with so many contrasting emotions, she just wanted to hide from everything and everyone. There was just too much to deal with and no one seemed to understand why she was so irritable. Even Damon was making her feel crazy. She found herself wanting more and more time to herself.

Every time she met with Jason, Damon made sure that he was present. His jealousy was beginning to get very old, very quickly. She felt like he was suffocating her. It got so bad she decided to let him deal with Jason, so she could have some peace.

Once the plan with Jason was going well, Vella went to the mayor and finally confessed that she was a vampire once again. He seemed to be genuinely surprised when she told him, which surprised her. She was sure Tyler would have told him by now. But after speaking with Tyler, he told her he appreciated what she had done for him so much, he would never betray her like that. It was the one small beacon of light in her otherwise dark existence.

Vella was doing her best to act as normally as possible. She spent many hours with Jenna, helping her with the wedding. It was difficult dealing with her guilt about Alaric, but she managed it. It helped that he wasn't actively involved in any of the preparations. She was also happy that John Gilbert had been staying away from the Gilbert house as well. She wasn't sure she could control herself if she had to spend any amount of time around him, especially in a private home where there was no one, other than Jenna, Elena or Jeremy, to witness what she might do. She was pretty sure none of them would be too upset, but she didn't really want to test that theory.

After spending some time with Jenna, Vella went back to the boarding house. Upon arriving, she went straight into the basement and grabbed a blood bag. She didn't even wait to go upstairs, she opened and consumed the contents right then and there. She hated cold blood, but her hunger had almost gotten the better of her and she couldn't wait any longer. Almost instantly, her rage and frustration vanished, along with her hunger.

She walked up the dark stairway from the basement to the main floor. She was carefully listening for any sounds in the house, but she heard none. It was getting late in the afternoon and she wondered why neither Damon, nor Stefan was around. Walking into the livingroom, she poured herself a drink and sat down. She took a single sip before her phone went off, interrupting her peaceful moment. Looking at who it was, she sighed and answered it.

"Hello, Jason."

"Hey, Vella. I was wondering if I could come over later tonight. I have something to show you."

"What time?" she asked irritated.

"Around eight or so."

"Fine. I'll be here. See ya then."

"Okay, see ya."

Vella closed her phone, placing it back into the pocket of her black jeans. She was very grateful for Jason's help, but she couldn't help but be irritated. She wasn't irritated with him, but with the whole situation. Most of all, she was irritated with Damon. She had never given him any reason to be jealous of Jason, but he was and no matter what she did to placate him, nothing worked.

She picked up her phone to call Damon, but changed her mind. If he came home in time for the meeting then he did, and if he didn't, she really didn't care at this point. She wasn't hungry and on edge, but she was still irritable. She downed her drink and poured herself another one, hoping it would help. It didn't.

Stefan arrived home a short time later to find music blasting and a very drunk Vella dancing around the livingroom. At first he stood and watched, laughing to himself. That was until she danced right up to him, grabbed his hand and pulled him into the room. She pulled him around a bit until he began to dance too. He was usually self-concious of his dancing abilities, but her laugh was totally infectious, he couldn't resist.

The song changed, giving Stefan a moment to stop and pour himself a drink. Things had been so tense around the boarding house lately, he felt he needed to imbibe. He didn't want to get drunk, he just needed to loosen up a little.

They danced for a short time, but Stefan didn't continue to drink. He didn't want to be drunk, he was just happy to be feeling much less uptight. But the more drunk Vella became, the clumsier she became, constantly knocking things over. Stefan could only follow behind her and straighten things up. It was while he was picking up a chair she had tipped over, when she fell backwards and Stefan's reflexes kicked in, catching her in his arms. That was when Damon walked in.

"What the hell is going on here?" Damon demanded, a growl developing deep within him.

Vella turned to Damon while she was still in Stefan's arms, laughing hysterically. Stefan almost dropped her in surprise, instead he tried to stand her up on her unsteady feet.

"Vella's drunk," Stefan said, staring down his brother's glare. "I just caught her from falling."

Damon eyed his brother suspiciously, but didn't say anything else. Instead he walked over to his wife and put a steadying arm around her.

"Hey, look, it's my lover," Vella said with a slur, leaning heavily against her husband.

He rolled his eyes, but wore a slight smile. He had never seen her so drunk. He found it slightly amusing.

"Come on, Vella. Let's get you sober."

Damon began to lead her towards the kitchen, helping her with every step. He seated her at the kitchen table, then walked to the fridge to retrieve some blood bags. He opened two and force fed them to her. She didn't really try to object, but she wasn't able to sit still long enough, so more blood ended up on her, than in her. Almost instantly, she began to sober up, at least enough that she could finally sit on her own, without fear of falling over.

Damon sat down in a chair beside her, determined to stay until she was able to speak and make sense. He hadn't counted on someone at the front door. He was about to get up to answer the door, when suddenly he couldn't move. He turned to look at Vella who had a big grin on her face.

"Are you doing this?" he asked her angrily.

"Yes," she answered, with no explanation.

"Why?"

Vella closed her eyes for a moment, trying to think straight. She was sobering up, but not quickly enough. Casting a spell to make Damon stay in his seat was an impulse, one that was purely instinct and not because she was thinking clearly.

While she had her eyes closed, Stefan walked into the kitchen. He was about to open his mouth when Vella opened her eyes and said, "We'll be there in a minute."

He looked at her curiously, then walked back out of the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, Damon," she said apologetically. "I knew who was at the door. The spell was a reflex."

"Why would you need to stop me from answering the door?"

She snorted, rolling her eyes. "You know why."

"I don't..."

"Yes, you do!" she interrupted. "And we need to talk about it before I release you from my spell."

"You don't have to use a spell to keep me here."

"Maybe not. But this way I have a captive audience."

He laughed sarcastically, clearly not amused.

"Jason is the one who was at the door. He called me earlier to tell me he was going to stop by."

"Why didn't you call me and let me know?"

"Isn't that obvious, Damon?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "I've had enough of your jealousy. I can't take it any more." Damon opened his mouth, then closed it. "It's difficult enough trying to control myself without having to deal with your insecurity. I feel like I'm being attacked from all sides and I can't even catch a break at home. I feel like I'm on the edge of a cliff and you're pushing me over it." She sighed loudly, cupping her hands to her face.

Damon looked at her apologetically. "I'm so sorry, Vella. I didn't realize it was effecting you like this."

"I know," she replied, standing up. "But I'm telling you now. I need it to stop. Getting drunk was my release this time. Next time...it might be something else."

"I'm sorry," was all Damon could say. He felt so badly, he couldn't even express it in words. He had let his petty jealousy and insecurities get the best of him and it hurt the woman he loved. The worst part was, he knew he couldn't stop being jealous, even though it was what she wanted. He could only keep it to himself from now on and hope it didn't get the best of him.

Vella shot him a warning glance and waved her hand to free Damon from the spell. He felt it leave as instantly as it had came, feeling as if a large weight had been lifted from him. He stood up, but didn't go towards the livingroom until Vella did, following behind her.

Stefan was sitting in a chair across from the couch, which was where Jason was sitting. Vella purposely sat right beside Jason, hoping to test Damon. She watched him closely, but he didn't even flinch. He quietly walked over to the couch and sat down on the other side of her.

Jason smiled as Vella sat down. He was also watching Damon in his peripheral vision. He could tell something was going on, but he didn't want to get in the middle of it.

"I don't want to take up too much of your time," Jason began. "I have a phone conversation I wanted you to listen to."

"Phone conversation?" Vella said shocked. "How did you manage that?"

He smiled slyly. "I can't tell all of my secrets now, can I?"

Vella rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Nothing changes with you, does it?"

"Nope."

"Let's get on with it, Jay. I'm pretty tired tonight."

"Right," he replied, pulling out his lap top from it's carrying case, laying it on the coffee table. He clicked a few times with the mouse, then turned back to Vella. "He was explaining to the person on the other line, his reasons for hating you and your family so much. I just want to warn you so you know what to expect."

Vella nodded, but didn't trust herself to open her mouth. She could feel a strange and dreadful anticipation growing. She wanted to know why John hated her so much. She had never done anything to him personally, at least not until he had first. She felt Damon take her hand in his, so she squeezed it back thankfully. She wasn't sure how she was going to feel after listening to this, but she was glad she had his support.

Jason clicked the play button with his mouse, then sat back.

_'Why do you hate this woman so much, John?' asked a voice no one recognized._

_'It goes way back," John replied.'_

_'Before I agree to help you, I want to know.'  
'It goes back to her parents. I didn't trust them, and it ended up being justified. They got everyone to turn against me, including my own brother.'_

_'How did they manage that?'_

_'I'm not sure, but her mother was a witch. She probably did something to make everyone believe I was untrustworthy. After that no one trusted me. Not even my brother. He kicked me out of the house, then removed me as the executor of his will. Instead he made his wife's sister the executor. Jenna can barely take care of herself, let alone my niece and nephew. I'm doing this for them. They shouldn't know evil like this. I made sure her parents got what was coming to them and now I'm going to do the same to her.'_

Vella gasped in shock, clasping her hand to her mouth. She hadn't meant to gasp out loud, but she couldn't help it. She bit her lip to keep herself from making anymore sounds. She didn't want to miss anything.

_'When do you want this to go down?'_

_'How about next Friday night? Is almost two weeks long enough notice?'_

_'I believe so. I should know by tomorrow.'_

_'Good. I want them all taken out. That isn't going to be a problem, is it?'_

_'No. They won't know what hit them.'_

_"Excellent. Call me as soon as you know something.'_

_'Absolutely.'_

Vella had bitten her lip so hard it was bleeding. She had fought back the tears during the recording, but she couldn't anymore. She went to get up from the couch, but Damon held her hand tightly, pulling her to him, laying her head on his chest. She began to sob slowly, trying to keep herself from losing control, but she couldn't. So much had built up and now that she finally knew the truth about her parents deaths, it was too much to handle. She sobbed uncontrollably for a short time, before they began to come in short gasps.

Jason felt badly. He wanted to be able to comfort her, like she had done for him so many times, but he knew Damon wasn't going to allow him to even try. He put his lap top away and stood up to leave, when Vella stopped crying and turned to him.

"Don't go yet," she said sniffling.

Jason stopped in his tracks, turning around to face her. She had stood up and was walking towards him. She threw her arms around him, embracing him tightly.

"Thank you, Jay."

"Please don't thank me, Vella. The last thing I wanted to do was upset you."

"I know," she said sniffling again. "But I appreciate everything you've done."

"I'm not done yet."

"I know. I need you to find out what he's planning. We're gonna stop him if it's the last thing I do."

"As soon as I know something, so will you," he said, walking out of the room and the house.

Vella turned around to face the Salvatore brothers with a serious look on her face. "We have less than two weeks to get what we need to get done. I intend on finishing this once and for all. I hope I can trust both of you."

Damon returned her serious look. "That's a given."

Stefan looked serious as well. "Absolutely."

"Good," she said with relief. "I have some things to do tomorrow so I'm going to bed early." With that, she left and headed upstairs. She didn't even care if Damon was ready for bed so early, she was tired. Not just physically, but mentally. Once she was in her room, she disrobed, climbed into bed and was asleep almost instantly. The next thing she remembered it was morning.

Vella woke up to find the opposide side of the bed empty. She turned over and noticed Damon's side of the bed was still exactly as it had been before she fell asleep. She had too much on her mind to be upset about it. She would worry about it later.

She hurriedly had a shower, got dressed, the usual routine she had most days, only this was no usual day, she had plans. Plans she had to keep secret from everyone, except for one person, the person she was intending on seeing as soon as she was positive she could get away without being seen.

She searched the house physically, before using magic to make sure it was empty. There were no notes, no messages, not even a voicemail or text, to let her know where Damon was. While she figured he was sulking somewhere, she couldn't be for sure. She couldn't let anyone get in her way.

Sitting at the kitchen table, she had some coffee that had been left in the decanter and was stil warm, and began to write a letter. It was for one set of eyes only, the person she was going to meet. And once she was satisfied with the letter, she folded it, put it in an envelope, which she tucked in her purse. Then - using magic, she burned the notepad she had used to write the letter. She couldn't let there be any possible evidence of this particular letter.

Vella left the house, taking her car. She drove in to town, then parked it in a grocery store parking lot. Getting out, she headed in the direction she wanted to go. She hoped that if anyone had wanted to follow her, they would fall for her ruse and think she was somewhere near the car.

While she was running, she texted the person she wanted to meet. She hoped he would be up as early as her, then she realized it wasn't as early as she had thought. It didn't matter to her, as long as he was awake and willing to meet with her. This particular matter couldn't wait.

The reply from her text was very quick, and promising. He was at home and willing to meet. The difficult part was over. Now all she had to do was hope he would be willing to help her with her endeavor. If he didn't...she wasn't sure what she would do. She knew she could do it alone, if she really had to. But the prospect of this event happening would be pretty bleak if she didn't have any assitance. She just wished she could trust Damon to help her. But that wasn't possible. He would be needed somewhere else, even if he would want to help, which she really doubted.

Vella arrived at the appointed meeting place, but the person she was meeting with hadn't made it yet. She wasn't surprised, he wasn't nearly as quick as she was. She didn't have to wait long, he showed up only a couple of minutes later.

"Sorry I took so long," he apologized. "I was helping my father with something."

"How is your dad?"

Tyler grinned. "He's still a bit shocked by everything, but nothing's changed. I guess he still trusts you."

"It's not like he has much of a choice," she said smiling.

He smiled and nodded. "So what was the emergency?" he asked curiously.

Vella fumbled in her purse, grabbing the envelope and handing it to him.

"I need you to read this," she instructed. "But, whatever is in there is only between you and me. You can't let anyone know."

Tyler took the envelope from her wearily. He wasn't sure why, but he felt uneasy. He opened it up, while Vella watched him read it. His expression didn't change at all, not even as he placed the letter back into the envelope and handed it back to her.

Vella used her magic to make it burn up instantly. She laughed as Tyler jumped back in surprise.

"Do you have any questions?"

He studied her face for a moment. He saw no sign of anything except seriousness. He wanted to help her, but he was feeling conflicted. He owed her, a lot. But this plan, he didn't like. He knew no one else would either, which was why she had asked for his help.

"Vella, I don't know," he said doubtfully.

Her first impulse was to feel angry and betrayed. He owed her and she needed his help. But she kept herself calm, thought it took a massive amount of self-control. She couldn't risk ruining this chance.

"What part of the plan do you not know about?"

He avoided her gaze, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other. He was pondering the best way to tell her how he felt.

"It's not so much the plan, as the result."

"Tyler..."

"No," he interrupted. "You don't need to explain, I get it. But if you're keeping this a secret from everyone then I don't know if I should help you."

She glared at him angrily. "You do understand I'm going to do this with or without your help, right?"

"Vella..."

"No! This is not up for debate, Tyler," she said sternly. "You're either with me or not, but you have to decide today."

He shrugged his shoulders, unsure how to answer. "Can I have a few hours to decide?"

She glared at him, studying his face. She wasn't sure if she should give him more time to think about it. But what choice did she have?

"Fine. Text me later with either yes or no, that's it." She turned to walk away, then realized she forgot something. "And make sure you don't say a word to anyone about this. Don't put me in the position of doing something I will regret."

He flinched slightly, shocked by her threat. This wasn't the Vella he knew and liked. He preferred the calm and patient, human Vella. He still wasn't sure how well he liked the angry, impatient and sometimes psychotic Vella. He knew it wasn't her fault she was a vampire again, so he felt pity for her. But at the same time, he needed to be careful around her. With her impulses and her magic, it could be a lethal combination. He had seen what she could do first hand and it more than terrified him.

"Answer me a few questions first."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Go ahead."

"Are you going to tell anyone about this?"

"No."

"What happens if someone finds out?"

"I will keep them out of the way, Tyler. No matter who...even Damon."

"Why?"

"That's a vague question," she said, narrowing her eyes.

"Why won't you let anyone else in on your plan?"

She snorted. "You know as well as I do what they will say. Damon might help me, but he won't go against everyone." She sighed, looking more sad than angry. "I need to do this, Ty. It's the only way to end it once and for all."

He nodded his head, pursing his lips. "I'll text you later."

Vella watched Tyler leave with mixed feelings. She really didn't know what she would do if he refused to help her. She wanted this - no, she needed this. It was the only way to ensure that John's vendetta would end and she could feel safe again. What she did know was she couldn't stay here and dwell about it, she needed to take her mind off of things.

Vella ran back to her car, driving over to the Gilbert house. She spent a few hours with Jenna, talking, laughing and planning her wedding to Alaric. She still felt guilty about what had happened with him, but it had begun to ease slightly. Damon had forgiven her, so she had to forgive herself. Otherwise she would drive herself crazy.

Hours later, she went home to find Damon. She was worried about him and they needed to talk. He wasn't home when she arrived, so she had a drink and relaxed with a book.

It wasn't long before Damon showed up, pouring himself a drink, sitting in a chair beside her. She was about to talk to him when she received a text. She nearly dropped her book on the floor as she reached into her pocket hurriedly to retrieve her phone.

Damon watched in interest as his wife grasped for her phone like a teenager waiting for her boyfriend to text her back. He tried not to be suspicious or jealous, but her reaction to a simple text made him curious. He decided not to say anything though. He was already in hot water with her and he didn't want to make things worse. He assumed she would tell him about it if she wanted him to know.

Vella read the text from Tyler. It said only one thing, 'Yes.' She smiled inwardly, feeling relieved. Now that she was much more relaxed and less on edge, she felt she could talk with Damon civilly. She turned to Damon, pursing her lips. "We need to talk about last night."

**A/N: This chapter was a little easier, maybe my block is crumbling. I only read it over once so I hope I fixed any typing mistakes.**

**I would love to see some reviews if you have time. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	82. Chapter 82

Chapter 82 ~ The Long Week Before

During the next few days, the unknown man contacted John several times, always with new information. The man seemed to be somewhat tech savvy and intelligent, at least that was what Jason had told the Salvatores. He had tried to pinpoint where the man was, but had no luck. Each time he called John, it was from a new number and new location, it frustrated Jason to no end.

Vella wasn't as worried about this bit of news as Stefan and Damon seemed to be. She really didn't care who this other man was, as long as nothing interfered with the plan she had with Tyler. It had to happen that night, it was the night of a full moon. While Tyler could transform into a werewolf any night, the full moon made him more powerful and deadly. It wasn't the only reason she needed it to be a full moon, there was another, more mystical reason, but no one needed to know that.

Damon's jealousy had begun to wane slightly as each additional day passed. He begun to feel silly for being jealous in the first place. While Jason was good looking and smart, he had somethingwith Vella that Jason didn't, a ring on her hand that said she was his for eternity.

It was late Friday afternoon, a week before John's plan would go down and Vella was feeling antsy. She was tired of being cooped up in the boarding house worrying about things that would happen, she wanted to do something fun. On impulse, she decided she wanted a girl's night. She called Jenna, Elena, Bonnie and Caroline, packed up her new Wii and games and headed over to the Gilbert house, after leaving a note for Damon.

After getting Jeremy to hook Vella's Wii up to the Gilbert's TV, the ladies kicked him out of the house for the night. He pretended to be offended, but he wasn't. He didn't want to be in the house with so many girls. He teased them before leaving to go to Alaric's to spend the night.

Vella felt relaxed for the first time in as long as she could remember. There was no John to worry about, no Damon or Jason, no worries at all, except to have fun. She couldn't even remember the last time she really had fun. It definitely wasn't in this life, or the one previous. Just thinking about it made her feel depressed, and this was not what she wanted, not tonight. She deserved one night of happiness.

Vella put Just Dance into the Wii and handed out the four remotes. She wanted to play, but there could only be four at a time and there was five of them, so she would watch the first game and they would all take turns. She had already played with Damon the night before, so it wasn't like she had never played it.

After several rounds of games, the girls gave each other manicures, new hair styles, then got into their jammies and ate ice cream. Then someone chose a sappy romantic movie to watch.

Vella hated romantic movies, always had. It wasn't that she didn't believe in romance or happy endings, she had had her own romance story come true. She just didn't find them interesting at all. She had always preferred action or comedy, anything but just romance. She decided to deal with it the only way she knew how, by having a few drinks, inconspicuously of course.

They were half way through the movie, when there was a knock at the door. Jenna got up to answer the door, but Vella already knew who it was by the sound of the knock and the smell. It was John. She didn't know why he was here, but she knew she wasn't going to be able to control herself if he stayed too long. In fact, she didn't think she would be able to control herself at all, for any amount of time. She began to get off the couch, when Elena grabbed a hold of her hand.

"Where are you going?" Elena asked with a suspicious look.

Vella knew she couldn't lie to her, that would be too obvious. "I'm going out the back door."

"You're leaving?" Caroline asked in surprise. "Why?"

Vella sighed loudly about to explain, when John walked into the livingroom wearing a mischievious grin.

"Hello ladies."

Vella glared at him angrily, standing up. "I'm outta here."

"Don't leave on my account," John said snidly.

She walked closer to John, looking deadly. "I wouldn't be asking for trouble if I were you, John."

Jenna walked over to the two of them, standing in between. "John, get what you came for and get out of here."

He grinned before walking down the hallway and disappearing into one of the spare rooms.

Vella watched his movements like a predator stalking prey. Every instinct and impulse told her to follow him down the hallway and snap his neck before anyone knew what was happening. She desperately wanted to hurt him, but she knew he was going to get his soon enough, she just had to be patient. She turned to look at the pleading eyes of the girls sitting on the couch and floor. It was what she needed to help calm herself down. She swallowed hard and returned to her spot on the couch between Bonnie and Caroline.

Jenna put the movie back on and for a short time, everyone forgot about John, even Vella. She had to admit, the movie wasn't quite as sappy as she had thought it was going to be, so she was able to completely forget about John. But as she began to feel comfortable and distracted, John came out of the spare room carrying a box.

Vella did her best to ignore John as he walked into the livingroom, setting the box he was carrying on the floor. She could feel his eyes glaring at her, even though she wasn't even looking. She knew he was going to try and goad her again, but this time she felt that she was prepared for anything he would try.

"Thank you, Jenna," he said exaggeratedly. "I have everything now, so I won't be bothering you again. I can't make that promise to anyone else though."

Vella breathed in and out deeply, trying to keep herself under control. She knew he wanted her upset, but she didn't want him to win.

He turned to deliberately face Vella. "How very coincidental that I ran in to you tonight, Vella." She dug her nails into her hand, hoping the pain would distract her. "Considering this is the tenth anniversary of your parents death."

Vella could hear Elena whispering, "Don't, Vella. That's what he wants," and Caroline was trying to distract her as well, but the words weren't being heard any longer. A sea of angry red waves crept into her vision, blinding her with rage. She was completely unable to fight the impulse to attack John, even if she had been coherent, which she wasn't. But John wasn't done. He made as if to bend down to pick up the box he had set down, and cut himself on the palm of his hand, drawing his own blood.

It was like a slow motion movie scene, where you were watching yourself lose control and yet there was nothing you could do. Vella's feet propelled themselves towards John at such a speed that it was a complete blur. But as she neared John, she felt a piercing pain in her head that made her collapse to the floor, writhing in pain as her brain felt as if it was going to explode.

"Get the hell out of here, John!" Jenna yelled at him.

John cackled with delight as he watched Vella in pain, but his pleasure didn't last long. He watched as she stopped writhing and looked at him with a deadly hunger.

Bonnie cried out in pain as Vella fought against her magic. Caroline was so freaked out, she ran into the kitchen, too afraid to watch what was going to happen. While Elena advanced on John, yelling. "Get the hell out of here before Bonnie loses control!"

John saw the fear in Elena's eyes, and it frightened him to his core. He was afraid he had underestimated the situation and he was going to die if he didn't listen. He couldn't die, not yet. Not until he exacted his revenge on all of the Salvatores.

"Thank you, Elena," he said sincerly.

"Don't thank me..._John_," she replied angrily. "If not for Bonnie, you'd probably be dead right now."

He definitely couldn't disagree with her. Before anything else could happen, he grabbed the box off of the floor and ran out of the house.

Bonnie and Vella were still fighting for dominance. Elena and Jenna could feel the electricity in the air, the hairs on the backs of their necks were standing up. Elena feared for Bonnie when she saw blood pouring from her nose. The same was happening to Vella, but she was a vampire, she would heal quickly, Bonnie didn't have that luxury.

Elena and Jenna weren't sure what to do. They yelled both of their names, but neither of them backed down. Elena knew she had to do something, but she was panicked and couldn't think straight. She didn't have to worry long. Seconds later, Damon came running through the door.

Damon stepped in front of Vella, grabbing a hold of her shoulders. He had stepped in the middle of the deluge of magic, which for a second was extremely painful, but it only lasted a second, as Vella let go, collapsing into his arms.

Bonnie fell backwards, but Elena had already been standing beside her and she caught Bonnie before she hit the ground. Jenna had run into the kitchen and grabbed some paper towels, handing them to Elena, who began wiping the blood from her face.

Caroline ran back into the livingroom, kneeling beside Bonnie. She had brought a damp towel from the kitchen and was wiping Bonnie's forehead with it.

Damon picked the nearly unconscious Vella up into his arms, turning to look at the ladies apologetically. "Thank you for calling me, Caroline."

"I'm just glad I could help," she answered with a smile.

Vella protested in Damon's arms, making him set her down. She wobbled for a moment on unsteady feet, before she was able to support herself. She took Damon's hand, pulling him towards Bonnie.

"I am so sorry," she said, looking at Elena. "Let me help her."

Elena was frightened for her best friend, but she knew Damon would not let Vella hurt her. She moved back, to allow Vella to get closer.

Vella laid a hand softly on Bonnie's arm. She closed her eyes for a moment, searching for the power to heal her. She was exhausted and on the verge of collapse, but it was her own fault. She had lost control and it could have ended very badly.

As her power flowed through to Bonnie, Bonnie's eyes fluttered first, before flying open. She was shocked and a little frightened, but she relaxed as she felt the reassuring hugs from both Elena and Caroline.

Damon put a supportive arm around Vella as she tried to stand up. She nearly fell backwards, but he caught her, holding her up as straight as he could.

"I'm so sorry, Bonnie," Vella said weakly. "I wouldn't have done that if I had been in my right mind."

Bonnie shook her head lightly. "I know. It wasn't your fault, it was John."

"Maybe," she replied with disappointment. "But it's no excuse."

"I didn't know today was..." Bonnie said trailing off.

The pain on Vella's face was apparent to everyone in the room, only Damon didn't understand why. He could feel her pain as if it was his own, but he didn't know how to help her.

"Damon," she whispered. "I need to get home."

He nodded, smiling at her reassuringly. "I'll pick up her stuff tomorrow," he said to Jenna. She nodded her head as he gathered his wife up into his arms and took her home.

Damon laid his wife on the couch in the livingroom when they arrived home and went in search of a blood bag, which he brought back to her promptly. She took it eagerly, drinking it down quickly. It helped with her strength, but her mind was a mess.

Damon sat on the couch, laying Vella's head on his lap. He absentmindedly stroked her hair as he watched her anguished face, her eyes closed. He knew she was upset and not just because Bonnie had started to say something, but because he knew his wife better than she knew herself. He didn't understand how she had lost complete control of herself, even if it was because of John. He knew it has been much more difficult since becoming a vampire again, but this was the worst he had even seen her.

"Vella," he prodded gently. "What was Bonnie about to say earlier?"

Vella opened her eyes slowly, pain written in them. She wanted anything but to talk about this subject with anyone. She was hurt, angry and ashamed. Of all of it, she was more ashamed than anything. She had forgotten the date of her parents deaths, but John hadn't. It hurt, even more than it hurt to have lost control so completely. How could she have forgotten? Of all the days of her life, it was the one date that had utterly changed the path of her life...and she had forgotten. She felt like she had betrayed her parents.

"You promised not to shut me out."

Vella pulled herself up, burying her head in Damon's chest. His supportive arm wrapped around her tightly as she let tears roll down her face, soaking his shirt. She didn't cry very long, she was too upset to even continue. She had to talk about it or she was going to lose control again.

"John reminded me about today's date," she said wearily. "It's the tenth anniversary of...my parents death."

Damon took her face gently in his hands, gazing deep into her eyes with a look of sorrow. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

"I didn't know either. I forgot."

"Hey," he said supportively. "So much has been going on lately. You can't be expected to remember everything."

"I might agree with you if this date didn't mean so much to me. How could I do that to them? How could I forget?" Her voice cracked and she was shaking violently.

Damon pulled her close to him again, trying to fight back tears of his own. He hated that she was in pain, but he was also angry. No, enraged. He was enraged that John could do such a thing. Not that he was surprised, but it was a very low blow. He was going to make sure John paid for it.

"I never got to meet your parents, but I'm positive they wouldn't want you to beat yourself up like this."

She turned and looked into Damon's loving eyes, a slight smile flittering across her face for a moment, before disappearing again. "You're right, Damon. But that doesn't really make me feel any better about it."

"Maybe not, but I'm not going to let you torture yourself about it. They wouldn't want that and neither do I."

"Ok, fine," she said shortly. "Then I will torture myself for what I did to Bonnie. That was my fault."

"You damn well know it wasn't. Even Bonnie doesn't blame you."

"That doesn't make what I did right. I almost killed her."

"I think you're over exaggerating."

"I'm not!" she screamed, pulling herself from Damon's supportive embrace. "If you hadn't stepped in when you did she would have died. Or...if I hadn't had enough left in me to heal her."

Damon was shocked. He had no idea it had been that serious. "Explain what happened."

She breathed in deeply, releasing a long sigh. "John was trying to goad me into attacking him by mentioning the date. I was holding myself in check, barely. Then he bent down and cut his hand purposely. The blood was all it took for me to completely lose all rational thought."

"That bastard!"

"Bonnie tried stopping me with magic, but I fought back. It wasn't intentional. My survival instinct kicked in and that was that."

"Are you going to be okay?"

She smiled lovingly, brushing her hand through his hair, before laying her hand on his cheek. "Of course I will be...because I have you."

Damon smiled, leaning forward, kissing her on the forehead gently. "I love you, Vella."

She pulled back slightly so she could gaze into his eyes. "I love you too, Damon. I'm not sure what I ever did to deserve you," she said smiling.

"You must have been one naughty girl," he chuckled sarcastically.

She slapped him teasingly. "Don't you know it."

He laughed, pulling her into a tight embrace and kissed her passionately. She returned his kiss, then pulled back.  
"Uh, let's go upstairs this time," she suggested with a grin.

He smiled, racing her up to the bedroom.

During the next few days, there was very little free time for any of the Salvatores. They had a lot of planning to do to be ready for Friday night. All of them were very grateful for Jason's assistance. Without him, they would never have known such a serious attack was going to happen and it might have ended very badly for them, and possibly for the innocent people of Mystic Falls.

It was Wednesday when they finally had some free time. Vella wanted to see Jenna so she could apologize in person. Also, she had some plans for the wedding to discuss with her. She was supposed to have been finished already, but with everything that had been going on, she had not had the time. She knew Jenna would understand, but it didn't stop her from feeling badly.

Vella left the boarding house just before noon, arriving at the Gilbert house almost right at noon. She stood on the porch waiting for Jenna to answer the door. She couldn't help but feel uneasy, even though she had no idea why. She really hated her intuition sometimes. It could be obvious, or it could be vague. She truly hated the vague feelings.

It was a couple of minutes before the door was answered by Jeremy, who breathlessly uttered a greeting and ran to his aunt's car. Vella smiled at him and walked in the house. She walked into the kitchen where Jenna was standing at the counter with her back to her.

"Hey, Jenna," Vella greeted her. "How are you?"

Jenna turned around, glaring at Vella. Her eyes were bloodshot and stained with mascara.

"What's wrong?" she asked with concern.

Jenna approached Vella slowly and slapped her across the face.

Vella was momentarily stunned by the slap, Had she been expecting it, she might have been able to control what happened next, but she had been caught off guard. Her face became ashen colored, her eyes darkened with dark veins around them, and her fangs had descended. She stared at Jenna for a moment, rage running through her. But she was able to get herself under control in a matter of seconds. She wasn't positive why Jenna had slapped her, but she had an idea.

Jenna had watched her frightened for a moment, then her tough, angry demeanor returned. She threw a large manila envelope on to the kitchen table. "Explain that!" she yelled angrily.

Vella didn't dare open the envelope, she already knew what it contained; pictures of her and Alaric kissing. She felt bile rise up into her throat, her stomach sinking. If she hadn't been so ashamed, she would be enraged that John had given her the photos.

"I'm sorry, Jenna."

"You're sorry? That's all you have to say?"

"What do you want me to say? If I tell you that it was a mistake and nothing happened, would you believe me?"

"The pictures say otherwise."

"Yes, they look bad. John set us up. Nothing happened. What you see is as far as it went."

"So kissing my fiance while you're half naked is nothing?"

"Jenna, please be reasonable."

"Reasonable! Are you serious?"

Vella looked at her pleadingly. "Please sit down and let me explain."

Jenna wanted to scream, hit and lose control, but for some reason she sat at the table to await an absurd explanation.

Vella sat across from her and tried to explain everything. Everything she knew at least. She wanted to hope that Jenna would understand and believe her, but she wasn't sure if she would do the same in her place. But after all was said and done, Jenna just wanted her to leave.

"I hope you can forgive me, Jenna," Vella said sadly. "But if you can't, I will understand."

"I don't know, Vella. I need some time to think about everything," she said quietly.

Vella gave her one more apologetic look and stepped out of the house. Her sorrow dissipated more and more the further she got away from the Gilbert house, instead turning to rage. She wanted to find John and rip him in to pieces, but she knew her time would come soon, she just had to be patient. To be on the safe side, she called Damon and let him know what happened, so he would meet her at home. She was going to need a distraction very badly. She made one more call, however, before going home. She thought Alaric needed to be warned about Jenna. After that painful call, she ran into the boarding house and into Damon's supportive arms.

"This is not what we needed to happen just before Friday," he stated with a sigh.

"I know," she replied sadly. "I'm sure it was always a part of his plan. But little does he know we're prepared for his little plan. In the grand scheme of things, this was just collateral damage."

Damon shook his head, squeezing her tightly. "Let's do something to keep your mind off of things for a bit."

Vella pulled back, looking at him suspiciously. "What did you have in mind?"

He smiled, chuckling and walked into the livingroom, pulling her with him. He picked up one of the Wii remotes and handed it to her. "Try to beat me at something."

She laughed, smiling in a determined way. "You're on!"

**A/N: This chapter just seemed to fly outta my head. I hope that means my block is disappearing. Not gonna bet on it though, this next chapter is a busy one with lots of action. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	83. Chapter 83

Chapter 83 ~ Vella's Revenge

Friday came more quickly than Vella had imagined it would. She almost felt like she had skipped Thursday altogether, but in reality, she hadn't. She had spent the whole boring day going over plans for Friday, to an annoyingly, boring end. She had actually zoned out several times during the group conversations. So much so, Damon had been terrified for awhile, convinced that the day before had taken more of a toll on her than she had let on, but it hadn't. She had just chosen to block out everything, except what she wanted to remember, like beating Damon in several games of Just Dance and Need for Speed. He would say that he let her win, but she knew better. She laughed thinking about it, catching curious stares from everyone in the room.

Damon had let Vella sleep in that morning. He knew she had been up late, tossing and turning and he was concerned. When she finally did get up, he had made coffee and even breakfast, before they went out to hunt. Stefan had protested, but Vella had explained to him that she needed all the strength she could get. He couldn't deny her that and let them go without another word.

It had been some time since Vella had drank blood straight from a warm, living, breathing human body. They had mainly been subsisting on blood from various blood banks around the county. It was much easier to control herself than she had imagined it would have been. Maybe it was because she wanted it so badly, or maybe it was because Damon was with her. Whatever the reason, she was grateful she didn't lose control, not at this point in time. There were too many important things to do.

Before going home, Damon took Vella to the falls to spend a few quiet moments together and completely alone. Not many words were spoken, nor were they needed, instead they just enjoyed the company of the other while holding each other tenderly. Both of them said enough to each other with their body language, words were not needed. They were concerned and worried about each other.

Back at the boarding house, Jason had arrived with several computers and was busily hooking them up to power and internet. Stefan was assisting him, along with Alaric, who had arrived around the same time. Damon was too agitated to sit still with Vella, so he tried to help the other men, while leaving Vella to keep herself occupied.

Vella was too busy thinking about Tyler and their agreement to realize she was being spoken too. It took a gentle nudge from Damon to bring her back to the here and now.

"Huh?"

"I was just asking if you remembered what time you're supposed to enter the bank?" Jason asked her slightly irritated.

She rolled her eyes in frustration. "This is all we've talked about for days, I'm pretty sure I can handle it."

Damon put a supportive arm around her, turning to Jason. "Are you sure you're going to be able to disable their security without them knowing?"

Vella sighed loudly as Jason was about to answer. "That's why it's going to be me going to the bank, Damon. If he can't get it to work out then I will have to use magic."

"I know what we agreed to," Damon replied. "I just don't like it."

Vella stood up quickly, glaring at him. "We've been over this already and I'm sick of rehashing it."

"Vella, sit down," Stefan said gently. "We need to go over all of this one last time to make sure we're all in sync."

She wasn't sure why, but she did what Stefan asked, even though she hadn't wanted to. When she had a moment to think about it, she realized why and it made her heart sick. They still had the blood connection and she had completely forgotten about it. She made a mental note to check into that more in the near future. If there was a way to break it, she was going to find it.

Everyone continued going over the plan a few more times, before they took a break. There were two parts to the plan. The first was breaking into the bank to retrieve things from John's safety deposit box. At the same time, they also had to break into John's lawyer's office and John's apartment. The plan required a great amount of timing as well as well as some distractions. Of course the second part of the plan involved stopping an attack on the Salvatores by some hired vampires. That plan was a little more up in the air.

By mid afternoon, almost everyone who was involved in both parts of the plan had arrived at the boarding house as well as a few people that were there so they were safe. Everyone had refused to allow Elena, Matt, Jenna, Jeremy or Caroline to help. They were to stay with Jason in the house where they would be safe. Things were still tense between Jenna, Alaric and Vella, but that had been forgotten for the moment. Their lives were in danger and that had to take precedence over their feelings.

As Vella, Damon and Stefan were preparing to leave, there was a knock at the door. Damon answered it, yelling for Vella as he opened the door.

Vella approached him from behind, smirking. "Yes?"

"Did you do this?" he asked, pointing to the man and woman standing at the threshhold to the house.

She grinned, pushing him aside. "Ron! Helen! You made it!"

"Of course we did," Ron replied smiling. "We owe you our lives. This was the least we could do."

Vella loosened the spell that encircled the house so they could come in. After introducing them to everyone, she apologized and left with the Salvatore brothers.

As they came to the edge of town, the three Salvatores stopped and looked at each other, each of them quietly contemplating things. There was so much they each wanted to say to each other, but also not say. They wished each other luck, even though Damon wanted to say more to his wife, but he couldn't bring himself to. He didn't want to upset her anymore than she already was. They all left in separate directions, cell phones on vibrate. They were an integral part of the plan.

Vella approached the bank from the east, staying in the shadows of the surrounding buildings. She did her best to stay inconspicuous while waiting for the signal. She didn't wait long. The signal came only a minute later, her phone vibrating lightly in her pocket.

She ran vamp speed into the bank so as not to be noticed. She headed down to the vault where the safety deposit boxes were held. The cameras weren't working, but there was a guard down there. She compelled him to wait on the stairs.

She found John's box, but was unable to open it. She texted Jason, wondering why he hadn't unlocked them yet, the reply was less than helpful. She didn't want to wait, so she used magic to open it. It was easier than she had thought it would be. She laughed quietly at the thought of being a bank robber if she ever needed money.  
She texted Jason back to let him know she got it open, then began to go through the contents of the box. There were many newspaper articles, pictures and even some flash drives. She gathered it all up, put it in the pouch she had worn for this occasion and locked it back up. She compelled the guard to forget she was there and sent him back to where he had been before she arrived, then vamp sped out of the bank, not stopping until she arrived at the same place the Salvatores had stopped before going their separate ways.

Vella was a few minutes early, so she began to look through the contents of John's safety deposit box. She flipped through pictures and some documents before finding a small journal. The writing inside seemed familiar but there was no name. She was about to read some, but Stefan showed up suddenly, so she threw everything back in her pouch.

"How did it go?" Stefan asked.

"Couldn't have went better," she replied in a lackadaisical tone. "What about you?"

"Same."

Vella looked around wondering where Damon was. She grabbed her phone and texted Jason, but he didn't reply. It made her incredibly nervous.

"I don't like this," she said near panic.

Stefan stood beside her and set his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure he's fine."

She shrugged his arm off and closed her eyes. She didn't want to admit, even to herself, that she was frightened. She was positive no one had known they were going to do this, so any human involvement shouldn't be much of a worry to her. But all the same she was worried. The more she thought about it, the worse she felt, until her muscles tensed up and she thought she might jump out of her skin.

Stefan grabbed Vella by the shoulders and shook her slightly. Her eyes flew open, glaring at him angrily for a moment, before they, and her whole body, relaxed. "Damon will be fine," he said without hesitation.

"You're probably right," she conceded. "I'm just on edge."

He was about to lean in to hug her, to comfort her, but Damon ran up then, glaring at his brother.

"Damon!" Vella exclaimed, throwing her arms around him and holding him tight.

Damon held her tight, burying his face in her neck. He was grateful to see her.

"How did it go?" Stefan inquired.

Damon pulled free of Vella's embrace slowly, smiling brightly at her. "Did you have any doubts, brother?"

"Of course not."

"Let's get home then. We need to rest before tonight," Damon suggested as he took his wife's hand.

As the sun began to drop below the horizon, the tension in the boarding house became more tense. Everyone was sure they knew how everything was going to play out, but there could never any guarantees. They had the element of surprise on their side, that might just make the difference between life or death.

The boarding house was feeling very crowded. Besides the three Salvatores, Jason, Helen, Ron and Alaric, there was Elena, Bonnie, Caroline, Matt, Jenna and Jeremy. Many of them were there so they would be safe, besides Bonnie.

After a quick overview of the plan, more for Helen and Ron's benefit, everyone had a quick drink, then did what they needed to prepare. The vampires and Alaric, armed themselves with stakes, while Bonnie began to call on various powers of nature.

Vella quickly texted Tyler, telling him to meet her at the boarding house. She had told Damon that Tyler was going to help as well, but she never told him the whole story. As far as he knew, Tyler was just going to be another supernatual entity fighting the invading vampires.

Helen and Ron were the first to leave the boarding house, heading towards the west. Stefan headed to the east, while Damon took the south. Damon hadn't wanted to separate from Vella, but he knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself. Plus, Tyler would be near.

Vella was more worried about Bonnie and Alaric. They were staying behind to protect the boarding house, or rather the people inside the boarding house. She felt uneasy as her and Tyler headed to the north of town.

"Vella," Tyler said as they stopped in the woods by his family's old property. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Vella looked at him seriously. "I am absolutely positive, Ty. This is your last chance to back out."

He paced back and forth a few steps, thinking. He owed Vella his life for how she had helped him with his curse. But on the other hand, he didn't really agree with what she was doing. He had had almost two weeks to think about it and hadn't changed his mind, so he decided he couldn't do it to her now, not last minute.

"No. I agreed to this. I'm not going to back out now," he replied without conviction.

She nodded her head, turning to her left and walked a few feet. "Here," she said. "This is where it's going to happen."

Tyler nodded his head, he knew what he had to do. He transformed into a werewolf in an instant, running back the way they had came.

Vella was standing in a clearing on the old Lockwood property. It was the exact spot she had tried to break Tyler's curse many weeks before. It was a significant landmark for what she intended to do tonight. She could sense the energy flowing through this spot. The same energy she had used to try and break Tyler's curse.

She looked into the sky to see where the moon was. It was full and rising slowly. Soon it would be at it's apex, where she needed it to be. She walked around the area to cleanse it from anything that might interfere with what she was going to do, then took out some items from behind a tree. Items she had put there earlier in the week.

First she poured water in a small circle, not as wide as the one she had used for Tyler's spell. She scattered some small stones inside the circle, said a few quiet words, then walked out of the circle. About ten feet away, she piled up some branches from a very old tree and using magic, lit it on fire. It crackled to life quickly, burning evenly with mystical energy.

While she waited for Tyler to return, Vella couldn't help but think of Damon. She hoped he was okay and wouldn't need her help right away, she was going to be busy for awhile. She had to push him out of her mind, she didn't need the distraction right now.

The moon was nearing it's apex, when she heard Tyler return. He appeared through a stand of trees in his human form, dragging a protesting figure with him.

"Hello, John," Vella said with disdain. "Nice of you to join me tonight."

John looked shocked, as he tried to free himself of Tyler's powerful grip. "What is this about?" he screamed wildly.

Vella laughed evilly. "You're going to get what you deserve, John."

He stopped fighting with Tyler, trying to stand bravely. "While you're here, your friends and family are going to be slaughtered.," he said with an evil grin.

Vella laughed again, only a bit louder. "That's where you're wrong, John. What you don't know is we knew it was coming and were prepared."

He looked at her in disbelief. "That isn't possible."

"I assure you it is, John."

"Then why am I here?" he asked curiously, but at the same time was afraid of the answer.

"I'm going to make it so you can't hurt anyone ever again."

"Murder? I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You are a filthy, murderous, blood thirsty creature."

She laughed again, only this time it was at his brave facade. She knew he was frightened, she could smell it and it made her hungry. But she had eaten well today and his blood was tainted, it was easy to push out of her mind. She looked at Tyler, who gripped John tight, throwing him where Vella had indicated by pointing. With a quick gesture, a fire ignited in the spot where Vella had previously poured the water.

John's eyes flew open widely as the fire encircled him. He tried to walk closer to it, hoping to get past it, but the fire climbed higher the closer he got to it.

"You won't be able to get out, John. It's not regular fire, it's magic," Vella said with a grin.

Tyler looked at her regretfully, still torn with his decision. He didn't feel right about this, but it had to happen. He knew it was probably the only way to stop him, short of murder.

"I want you to go now, Tyler. Go help the others," she asked him.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" he asked concerned.

"Yes."

He smiled at her supportively, looked up at the moon and transformed into a werewolf once again. He howled loudly once, then left in a flash of fur, flying into the darkness.

"What are you going to do to me?" John asked fearfully.

Vella narrowed her eyes at him. "Making you pay. That's all you have to know for now."

John tried to get out of the circle of fire, but each time the fire rose higher and became hotter. He eventually gave up and sat down on the ground in defeat.

Vella took some herbs she had brought and threw them into the mystical fire she had built with the old wood. The herbs burned in a puff of dark, acrid smoke, rising into the clear night sky. She was chanting, while throwing another handful of the same herb in the fire, before pulling a perfectly round stone from her pocket. In the firelight it took on an eerily reddish hue, almost the color of blood, but in actuality, it was almost pure white and semi-transparent. The light bouncing off of it made it look like it had an aura surrounding it.

"What is that?" John asked, standing up again. He was now pacing with agitation.

Vella smirked, pursing her lips. "It's a moonstone, John."

John looked at her confused. He had no idea what significance it held.

"It's going to help me harness the mystical energy from the moon," she began to explain. "I will tell you all about it in due time."

She grasped the stone tightly and began chanting loudly. The mystical fire began to pulse, the flames stretching higher, then receding, over and over. She closed her eyes. drawing all of the energy she could. When she had what she needed, she opened her eyes and smiled at John. She took a knife from her pocket, and holding her hand over the mystical fire, she sliced her hand open, blood pouring from her hand into the fire, each drop sizzling as it hit the flames. Then she walked closer to the ring of fire that encircled John, the firelight dancing on her face, which was contorted with rage.

John was shaking uncontrollably, while begging for his life. His pitiful cries angered Vella, but she ignored them. She flicked her hands once and the fire encircling him died. Before he knew it, Vella was beside him, slicing his forearm with the knife she had cut herself with. She grabbed a hold of the arm she had cut and smeared his blood onto the moonstone, then threw him to the ground and walked back to her mystical fire, while igniting the circle of fire surrounding John once again.

"Let me the hell out of here!" John screamed.

Vella ignored him, throwing the moonstone into the fire. It floated upwards until it was just above the flames, which were licking the bottom of the moonstone. The blood on the stone was bubbling and hissing as the heat cooked and dissipated it. She closed her eyes, chanting a few words loudly, then the fire went out suddenly, the moonstone falling into the ash. She picked it up and placed it into a small fabric pouch she pulled from her pocket and tied up the drawstring, tying it into a knot.

John watched as the fire went out, hoping it would be his chance to escape, but the fire encircling him did not go out. It was not a part of the spell Vella had cast, it was a separate one meant to keep him where he was. As she turned around to look at him, she wore a smile that frightened him to his core. But it was the least of his worries. Suddenly he felt like his skin was on fire, every muscle in his body was screaming and his bones ached. He was watching Vella, hoping she would tell him what was going on but she didn't. She was enjoying his pain too much. She wasn't even sure the spell had worked until she saw his eyes glowing bright yellow.

Vella made a quick gesture with her hands and the fire around John disappeared. He was cowering on the ground, tears in his eyes. She approached him, squatting beside him. "Now I know you will never hurt anyone ever again, John."

John looked at her, tears of pain and fear running down his face. "What did you do to me?" he pleaded.

"I cursed you, John."

"What kind of curse?" he asked in a whining voice.

"If you ever have anything to do with someone's death, whether it's directly, or indirectly, then you will become a werewolf."

He flinched as if he'd been physically assaulted, a look of total dismay on his face. "Even an accident?"

"Even an accident," she reiterated with a smile. "Even if you ask someone to do it, like how you killed me."

"But, but," he stammered.

"No buts, John. You will become a werewolf. Every full moon you will transform, and it will be very painful."

He was paralyzed with fear, shaking with spasms. He looked like he was going to vomit. If he hadn't deserved this fate, Vella might have actually felt bad for him. It was one curse she would definitely not have wanted to happen to her.

"If that happens, John. If you end up becoming a werewolf. I will hunt you down myself and kill you. So let that be your warning."

Vella stood up and turned around, but she stopped as John grabbed a hold of her foot. She turned back to him glaring daggers.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "About your mom."

"Don't you dare!" she said, kicking at his hand.

"No, I mean it, Vella. I never wanted anything to happen to her or your sister. I loved your mom at one time."

Vella began to see red as she stumbled backwards a few steps feeling sick to her stomach. She was angry, sickened and exhausted. "But it was your fault, John. You know that right? So is what happened to me. If not for your interference, my parents and sister would be alive and so would I. We would be a happy family and I would never have had to deal with vampires."

"You're right," he admitted sadly. "I was blinded by my hatred of vampires. I ruined your life and then I blamed you for everything. It was wrong."

"That's easy to say now," she scoffed. "But now you can suffer too. Suffer knowing that a simple accident, or slip of the tongue could cause you to turn into a monster. A monster more frightening than I am."

He looked down, feeling dejected. He knew she was right and he would have to live with it for the rest of his life.

"Now if you'll excuse me, John," she snarled. "I have to get out of here and stop what you put in to motion tonight... I guess you better hope no one dies," she said before leaving John in the clearing alone.

**A/N: Just in case you forgot, Helen and Ron were the couple Vella and Damon helped in North Carolina. He was turned because of the doc who was using vampire blood to heal people. It's funny cause I remembered them but had forgotten their names. So I had to search for it lol.**

**So what did you think of the revenge? Did you see it coming? Did John get what he deserved? I've actually had that planned for a long time. I hope I didn't miss any typos, cause I was in a hurry to put this chapter up.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	84. Chapter 84

Chapter 84 ~ Battlefield

Vella could hear growling and screaming as she neared the area she was supposed to have been waiting with Tyler. As she caught sight of Tyler, he was trying to fend off an attack from four vampires; three men and a woman. She took a deep breath, hoping she still had enough strength to fight. She instantly regretted not having fed on more blood earlier in the day, but she hadn't wanted Damon to be suspicious. Now she feared it might be her undoing.

She ran headlong into the group, who scattered in separate directions. She looked at Tyler and whispered, "Sorry it took so long." He just looked away.

The three male vampires regrouped, trying to surround Tyler. Obviously they didn't think Vella was much of a threat compared to the snarling, vicious werewolf. Vella used this to her advantage, quickly pulling a stake out of her pocket and dashing at the lone female vamp. She was quick, moving out of the way easily.

Missing the vamp made Vella frustrated, and frustrated was not what she needed to be. It only made her think less and rely on her instincts more. Normally that wouldn't be such a bad thing, as thinking too much is usually a disadvantage in a fight. But in Vella's case, her instincts usually relied on magic and she was much too tired to be relying on it right now.

Vella ran after the female vamp again, managing to trip her, but as she managed to swing the stake around, the vamp got to her feet, kicking out her legs beneath her. She fell hard to the ground, landing on her side. The vamp laughed triumphantly, until she felt an agonizing pain in her head. She clutched at her head, falling down to the ground. Vella stood over her with a smug grin for a moment, before plunging the stake into her heart. The vamp twitched a moment before turning gray. She was dead.

Vella was breathing hard, absentmindedly rubbing her hip. It hurt from falling and it wasn't healing quick enough. She didn't have time to think about it before she heard Tyler yelp in pain. She forgot about everything and ran towards him, but was tripped before she could reach him. She flew a few feet forward, landing on her hands and knees. She was dazed for a moment, allowing enough time for one of the male vamps to kick her in the stomach, which sent her doubling on to her side.

As angry as Vella was, she was also in an immense amount of pain. She blasted the vamp back with a burst of magical energy that pushed him backwards more than ten feet. The same blast also caused Vella to scream in agony. She did her best to forget the pain as she staggered to her feet, just in time to get out of the way of another vamp. She managed to grab another stake she had attached to her belt and stabbed him in his back, but she missed his heart. He screamed in pain, snarling with rage.

Tyler had managed to stand on his four feet, with a stake protruding from his back. It took more than that to kill a werewolf. He let out a huge howl, before running towards Vella. He was going to attack the vamp she had wounded, but she managed to pierce his heart with the stake after grappling with him. She sat, leaning up against the dead body of the vamp, trying to find out where the last two vampires were. She could hear them, but they had regrouped somewhere in the mass of trees.

"Are you okay, Tyler?" Vella asked him concerned. He stared at her, tilting his head to the side. That was when she noticed the stake. "This might hurt," she said, before yanking it out in one quick motion.

Tyler yelped in pain when it was pulled from his body, but he healed quickly. He gave Vella a lopsided smile, his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth, then took off into the trees.

Vella smiled at his wolfy grin, then tried to stand up. She stumbled a bit, but managed to get on her feet. She was looking for a stake when one of the male vamps came at her at a run. She tried to move out of the way, but he stopped short, turning around quickly. He managed to get right behind her, stabbing her in the back, near her right shoulder. It was pure adrenalin that she was able to send him to the ground in pain, but she couldn't hold him there. She had used way too much magic and she was worn out, drained both physically and mentally.

Vella collapsed to the ground, trying to reach behind her and pull out the obstruction, but she couldn't reach it and had no energy to keep trying. She laid face down in the grass, hoping that death would come quickly, her thoughts turned to Damon, knowing he would be heartbroken. But death didn't come. The vamp that had staked her was disoriented, so he never noticed when Tyler charged at him. Tyler jumped, managing to get the vampire by his throat. The vamp tried to shake him off, but it was too late. The powerful jaws of the werewolf severed his head from his body, body and head falling to the ground with a thud.

Tyler stood beside Vella, one moment a wolf, the next human again. He was completely nude, but it wasn't really time to be worried about that. He kneeled beside Vella, turning her over, but not before pulling the stake out from her back. She groaned in pain, her eyes closed and her breathing labored. Blood streaked her face from where her nose had bled.

"Vella," he called, shaking her gently. "Open your eyes."

Vella's eyes opened slowly, taking a moment to focus. She turned her head to the side, her face blushing. "This is not the time for modesty," Tyler said chuckling lightly. She rolled her eyes and chuckled, which brought on a bout of coughing.

Tyler helped her sit up, supporting her against him. Her coughing was brief, but she was doubled over from the pain it caused.

"Thank you, Ty," she said through gritted teeth.

"Don't waste your time speaking, we need to get you out of here."

"Damon will kill either you, me or both of us if you carry me while you're naked."

He laughed. "Even when you're in pain you have to joke, huh?"

She smiled weakly, nodding her head. "I just need blood."

"Where am I going to get that?"

She grinned at him. "You're so adorable when you're naive."

He chuckled, but he suddenly felt uncomfortable. "I can't leave you here alone."

"Did you kill all of the vampires?"

"Yes, but still..."

"I'll be fine," she reassured him.

Tyler wanted to argue with her, but he knew better. He helped her over to a tree, so she would have something to lean against, then took off in search of blood.

As soon as she knew Tyler was out of earshot, she let out a scream of pain. She had had to bite her tongue to keep herself from screaming sooner, not wanting to let him know how bad she felt. She suddenly remembered her phone, pulling it out of her pocket. She tried texting Damon, with no results, so she tried Stefan. Neither one replied right away, or even many minutes later. She closed her eyes, tears threatening. She didn't want to think the worse, but she couldn't help it when she was in so much pain. She tried to stand up a few times, but pain kept her from moving too much. The pain in her hip was beginning to go away, but the pain in her back was still as painful as ever.

At some point she passed out, only to be awakened by someone violently shaking her. Her eyes opened slowly, but not without a great deal of effort.

"Tyler," she mumbled.

"Yes, it's me. I have some blood for you."

She smiled at him gratefully, even though he seemed to be repulsed by the thought of the blood. Taking the bag from him, she tore it open and drank from it noisily, not stopping to take a breath. She felt an instant relief from much of the pain she was feeling, but not all of it. Not to mention she was still tired.

"Are you okay now?" he asked with worry.

"Yes," she replied, as she tried to stand up. She stumbled a bit but he caught her, supporting her by one arm. "I need more, but this is good for now."

"Are you sure? You don't seem okay."

She smiled reassuringly. "I will be," she replied, standing up straight on her own legs. "We need to get back to the boarding house."

Tyler nodded, transforming back into a werewolf. He made an almost playful yipping sound, before bounding off through the trees, with Vella following closely behind him.

Tyler had slowed down as they neared the boarding house. He sensed something and so did Vella. She was already on edge and near panic, so she didn't stop to think as she broke through the trees that surrounded the house, stepping into the front yard, illuminated only by the full moon overhead.

She looked in horror, as Alaric lay on the ground unmoving and Bonnie was trying to fend off two vampires with magic. Before she could even react, Tyler dashed past her, jumping on the back of a very surprised and terrified vampire.

Vella ran up behind the other vamp, grabbed a hold of his arm and flung him into the trees. Tyler had already managed to kill the one he had attacked, so he chased after the vampire Vella had thrown.

Vella ran up to Alaric, kneeling beside him. She felt for a pulse but he didn't have one. He was wearing his magic ring though, so she knew he would be fine eventually. Bonnie on the other hand had collapsed to the ground, holding her hand to her face. Vella ran over to her, kneeling down beside her. Bonnie had blood over her face and on her shirt.

"Are you okay, Bonnie?"

She nodded her head. "There were four of them who surprised us. One killed Alaric before I even had a chance to blink."

"Where did the other two go?"

"I used magic on all four, but I couldn't hold them. After I released them, the other two took off."

Jenna came running outside, followed quickly by Elena.

"Get back in the house!" Vella yelled, before being blindsided by a mass of magical energy, sending her flying backwards. She sat up, reaching for a rock that was beside her. She threw the rock at full force, hitting the witch, that had appeared out of the trees, square in the middle of her head, killing her instantly.

Vella was dizzy by the attack, but she managed to stand up and escort both Jenna and Elena back into the house, then returned for Bonnie. She had to pick her up and carry her into the house, then returned outside. She had a strange feeling that she was being watched, but she didn't know from where. She was too tired and way too weak to use her magic, unless it was necessary, so she had to forget about it and hope she was wrong.

She heard movement a minute later, and was surprised to see Damon almost dragging a limp, nearly lifeless Stefan. Vella moved to help Damon support him, when Tyler yelped loudly from somewhere in the distance. She looked at her husband frantic with worry. "I can help Stefan, go help Tyler."

Damon nodded in agreement, leaving quickly towards the sound of the yelp. Vella was supporting Stefan, but it was taking more effort than it should have. Elena came running out of the house again, screaming Stefan's name.

"Dammit Elena!" she screamed. "I told you to stay in the house!"

Elena got on the other side of Stefan and helped to support him. He groaned from the movement, but he didn't move. Vella glared at Elena, but didn't say anything. They began to walk towards the house when a tall man with short, brown hair stepped out of the shadows with a menacing presence.

"Get Stefan inside, now!" Vella yelled as she let go of him to confront the man. Elena almost stumbled under his weight, but Jeremy ran outside to help his sister drag him inside.

"Very impressive," the man said to Vella.

Vella was taken aback by his unthreatening tone. "Who are you?"

He studied her for a moment, grinning evilly. "Names do not matter."

It took a moment, but she realized then she had heard this man's voice before. The tone, the accent, it was the mysterious man John had been speaking to.

"What do you want?" she asked, sounding more confident than she felt.

"I'm just here to observe, that is all."

"You're the one who did this. I'm not going to let you get away with it."

He grinned as Vella attempted a spell that had no effect on him. She tried a different one, and it didn't seem to have any effect either. She knew he was a vampire, she had seen his fangs protruding from his mouth as he grinned, but she had no idea why her spells weren't working. She tried one last one, gathering as much energy as she could, but all it did was weaken her. She did her best to hold herself upright, even though her legs were wobbly and unsure.

The vampire smiled. It wasn't a smug grin. It looked more like he was impressed by her lame attempts to hurt him. He studied her again, making Vella seem like he was sizing her up for something. The thought made her shiver. His amusement seemed to be short lived. In the blink of an eye, he charged at Vella, stabbing her in the stomach with a short branch.

Vella's mouth gaped open as he pierced her stomach, she screamed silently, the sound cut off by blood gurgling in her throat. She hadn't expected it, and it happened so fast, even for a vampire. Her eyes fluttered as she began to hunch over, but he caught her, grabbing her by the jaw with the hand that wasn't in her stomach. He gazed deep into her eyes and suddenly she felt nothing, only what he told her. He was compelling her. She fought against it, but even if she hadn't been so weak, it would have turned out the same. She couldn't fight it. She was more frightened than she ever had been in her life...or afterlife. It had only been a moment, but it seemed much longer to her.

The vampire broke his gaze, studying her once more. He seemed to look bored, throwing her away from him. She fell backwards, the branch being wrenched from her stomach by her backwards momentum as he held on to it. She collapsed on her back, clutching the gaping hole in her stomach. She struggled to move, making painful grunting sounds, but she knew it was no use. She wasn't going to be getting up on her own.

The vampire turned his attention to the house for a moment, as if looking for something, before turning back to her. "We'll meet again," he said, then casually walked back into the shadows.

Vella closed her eyes, concentrating as hard as she could so she wouldn't scream. She didn't want anyone to leave the safety of the house for her. She was in excrutiating pain, the most pain she could remember ever feeling and it wasn't becoming any less painful. She turned on to her side and spit out blood, then screamed as the wretching caused her stomach wound to open more.

Alaric sat up, looking around disoriented. He realized after a few quick moments what had happened to him last, understanding why he had been on the ground. He noticed Vella on the ground and went over to her, kneeling beside her.

"Oh my god," he exclaimed quietly. "Are you okay, Vella?"

Vella shook her head 'no', coughing up more blood. She decided not to try to speak again, she didn't want to spit or wretch anymore.

Alaric was about to try and pick her up, but she protested, shaking her head, trying to refuse. The effort made her wretch more blood, grasping at her stomach. Alaric looked at her helplessly, feeling badly.

Alaric wanted to go into the house, but he wasn't about to let Vella lay outside while she was so vulnerable. He got up, scanning the ground around him. He found what he was looking for quickly, a few wooden stakes and a vervain dart, they had been scattered on the ground near him when he was killed. After picking them up, he stood by Vella until Damon showed up a few minutes later.

Damon came running into the front yard, with Tyler right behind him, still in werewolf form. He hadn't actually seen his wife laying on the ground to know something had happened. He had felt it, like intuition, only different. If he had known about the mysterious vampire and who, and what, he was, then he would have known why he had felt something unusual, but he hadn't seen him, only felt him.

Damon knelt beside his wife and tried to lift her head up, but the movement just made her scream out in pain. He looked at her with eyes full of love, but also fear.

Vella reached out her hand, placing it on his. She opened her mouth to talk, but all she could do was cough.

"It's okay, love," he said gently, squeezing her hand. "Don't try to talk."

"Blood," was all she could manage to get out before a new bout of coughing took over.

Damon knew she needed more than what they had in the house. They had depeleted almost all of their reserves preparing for the battle. He glanced at Alaric with a questioning look.

"What?" Alaric asked apprehensively.

Damon looked at him pleadingly, grabbing him by the wrist. "Please," he begged. "She needs fresh blood."

Alaric was shocked, pulling his hand back instinctively. He wanted to help, but he wasn't sure he wanted to help this way. It was Damon's bleak and frightened look that convinced him to help.

Alaric squatted down beside Vella, offering his wrist to her. She looked at him, shaking her head in refusal, which brought on a couple of coughs.

Damon brought his face near Vella's, a single tear fell from one eye. "Please don't be stubborn, Vella. Take his blood. You need it and I can't stand to see you in pain like this," he pleaded.

She looked at him solemnly, but shook her head in refusal again. She knew he didn't understand, but she couldn't take his blood, for many reasons.

Damon wasn't going to let her refuse for long. He grabbed Alaric's wrist and bit it with his long fangs, leaving two perfectly round holes with blood beading from them. He pushed Alaric's wrist near her mouth and said, "Drink!" She shook her head again, but this time it was less than enthusiastic. "If you take too much he'll be fine, love. He's still got his ring on."

"Damon!" Alaric protested, but he was hushed by Damon's stern look.

Vella looked at Alaric apologetically, before taking his wrist, drinking blood from the holes Damon had already made. She drank slowly at first, but the more she had, the more she needed. She drank more ravenously, before Damon stopped her.

Alaric gripped his wrist and stood up. He was a bit dizzy at first, but it passed. He turned to walk away, before he heard Vella thank him. He just nodded and went into the house.

Damon waited until Vella's wound began to heal, before he lifted her up to a sitting position. She smiled, and winced in pain, as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. She buried her face in his chest, fighting back tears. They weren't tears of pain, or even of fear, they were tears of guilt. She didn't think Damon should feel so badly for her when what had happened was of her own doing. If she hadn't cursed John, she would have had enough strength to fight. But would she have been able to fight the mysterious vampire? She thought he had compelled her, but is that what really had happened? How could a vampire compel another, she wondered.

Damon was oblivious to why she was upset. He assumed it was because she had been injured and was in so much pain. He stood up, lifting her with him, then lifted her fully into his arms. She kept her head against his chest as he carried her inside the boarding house.

**A/N: So who do you think the mysterious vamp is and what does he want? It's probably not who you think it is lol. And I'm sure you'll never guess the reason. Should I give you a hint? Nah. I prefer to tease you all lol.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	85. Chapter 85

Chapter 85 ~ Secrets and Promises

Damon took his wife upstairs and laid her in their bed, making sure she was comfortable before going downstairs to check on everyone else.

Bonnie was lounging in a chair drinking some tea Jenna had made for her. Stefan was laying on the couch with his head in Elena's lap, she was stroking his hair. He was awake and alert, but needed to rest.

Damon walked in the kitchen where Jenna and Alaric had been talking. He had interrupted them, but it was too late to hide what had been discussed, he had already heard them.

"Don't blame Alaric," Damon said glaring at Jenna. He was not in the mood to listen to anyone bashing his wife. "I'm the one who made him do it. If you want to blame someone, blame me."

Jenna returned the glare but didn't respond. She knew he was right, but Vella wasn't her favourite person in the world right now.

Damon went to the fridge, grabbing a bag of blood to bring to his wife. He was about to walk out of the room when he turned to Alaric. "Have you seen Tyler?"

"No," he replied questioningly. "Why?"

"No reason," Damon replied, walking into the livingroom.

Damon was going to head upstairs, but something was nagging at him. He noticed Tyler wasn't in the livingroom, but he could tell he was still in the house. He asked Matt and Caroline, but neither of them had seen where he had went either.

Damon shook his head in frustration, deciding to go upstairs to be with his wife. He was still worried about her, even though she seemed to be healing now. He wasn't sure how she had gotten so weak in such a short time. His brother he understood, he fed mainly on animal blood, but not his wife.

As he was walking up the stairs, he heard his wife speaking to someone. He stopped suddenly to listen.

"I don't think I should tell him."

"If you don't tell him, John surely will," Tyler replied. "And you know he won't appreciate that."

Vella sighed loudly. "You're right. I just hate keeping secrets from him."

"I'm not going to tell you what to do. I just like you too much to see you hurt. He's not always reasonable."

She snorted. "You're just afraid he's going to blame you."

"I am not!" he said mockingly.

"Thank you, Tyler," she said seriously. "I would probably be dead if you hadn't been there. I owe you."

"No. If anything we're even."

"I know you didn't agree with what I did, but you helped me out anyway. I won't forget that."

Damon started walking towards the bedroom, just as Tyler was leaving. He resisted the temptation to punch him, completely ignoring his presence. He smiled lovingly at his wife as he entered the room. His first instinct was to yell at her for keeping something from him, but when he saw her pale face and remembered how much pain she had been in not long before, he couldn't do it. He handed her the bag of blood and gently sat down at the edge of the bed. He watched her drink the blood, waiting patiently, well he looked patient, but he didn't feel that way.

"Thanks, Damon," she said lovingly, while wiping a bit of blood from the corner of her lips.

Damon smiled and took her hand. As angry as he was, he loved her more.

Vella looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," he said trying to sound believeable.

She studied him for a moment, suspicious. "You're hiding something."

The accusation made Damon angry for a moment, until he was able to calm himself. "Is there something you need to tell me?" Vella looked at him knowingly, then looked away.

He shuffled closer to her, reaching out to touch her chin, gently forcing her to look into his eyes. "Just tell me what it is you're keeping from me."

She wanted to pull away, but she didn't. "Do we have to do this now?"

"Yes."

She sighed, looking at him apologetically. "I cursed John Gilbert."

"What?"

Vella quietly explained what she had done to John, while he listened calmy and patiently. She was afraid of what he was going to say when she was finished, but she knew what to expect.

Damon wasn't nearly as upset as he had prepared himself to be. What Vella had done was probably the best thing to get rid of John and his meddling once and for all. What he was upset about, was that she felt the need to keep it a secret from him. And worst, was she confided in Tyler. He really didn't like him and had no idea how his wife could either.

Vella was relieved her husband wasn't upset, she hated to hurt Damon and she was feeling incredibly guilty. Not just because she kept this a secret, but because she had one more secret and she wasn't sure how he would take this one. She decided to wait until she was feeling a little better before tackling that issue.

"Can I ask you one question without you getting defensive?" he asked calmly. She nodded her head in agreement.

"Why did you have to do it tonight of all nights?"

She smiled at him, she had been expecting a different question. "It was a full moon tonight. I need the power from the moon for the spell."

Damon nodded in understanding and smiled. He slid up the bed beside his wife and put his arm around her. He snuggled with her for a short time, just enjoying being near her. They didn't speak, but they both understood each other. Both had been afraid for the other.

When Vella was satisfied everything was okay between them, she insisted on going downstairs to check on everyone else. Damon wanted to object, but he knew there would be no point, so he just went along with her.

Downstairs was pretty quiet now. Elena and Stefan were sitting on the couch together quietly talking. Alaric and Jenna were dozing off together in a large chair. Jason was in a chair by himself. He had fallen asleep in front of his computers. Jeremy was talking quietly with Bonnie. Matt, Caroline and Tyler were absent. Vella assumed that Tyler had went home and Matt and Caroline were probably in a spare room sleeping.

Vella walked over to Bonnie, she had been worried about her, but when she did she felt a strange sensation run through her body. It took her a moment before she realized what it was.

"Bonnie!" Vella exclaimed, though in a hushed tone. "What are you doing?"

Damon put a supportive arm on his wife's shoulder, glaring at Bonnie.

"What did you do tonight?" Bonnie asked, ignoring her question.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, trying to play dumb.

"Did you think I wouldn't be able to feel that?"

Vella looked at her knowingly. "Can we talk about this later?" she asked. Everyone had turned their heads to find out what was going on, even the people who had fallen asleep.

Bonnie narrowed her eyes. "No. I know you cast a spell using a massive amount of mystical energy and I want to know what you did."

"It's none of your business," Vella replied harshly.

Bonnie closed her eyes for a moment and Vella felt a pull of mystical energy. She knew what she was going to attempt to do and it enraged her. Suddenly she was leaping towards Bonnie, fang outs, hands like claws, but Damon had had his arm on her still and he was able to grab a hold of her, pulling her backwards. They both almost fell backwards, but Vella was able to stand up a fraction of a second faster. She tried slipping past him but it didn't work.

Everyone else in the room moved closer in an effort to protect Bonnie, while Damon tried to calm his wife. He had a grip on her arms but she was strong when she was unreasonably enraged. Out of instinct, and desparation, Damon slapped her as hard as he could across the face. He felt himself cringe inside afterwards, hating himself for hitting his wife, but he couldn't think of anything else to snap her out of it.

Damon's slap snapped Vella out of her blind rage almost instantly. For a moment she didn't know where she was or what had happened, but it only lasted a second. The faces of those around were staring at her in horror and astonishment. She felt an instant sting of embarrassment for losing control of herself once she realized what had happened. Her eyes went wide, fighting back tears of embarrassment and shame. She looked into Damon's concerned eyes to calm herself, feeling her face flush red slightly. She looked down to hide her shame.

Damon wrapped his arms around her, her face hiding against his chest. He whispered an apology in her ear for slapping her. She only nodded an acknowledgement, but didn't trust herself to speak. He then glared back at Bonnie unforgivingly.

"I'm not going to back down," she said, answering his look.

Everyone in the room went back to their seats, but they were all on edge. There was a nervous energy running through the entire room and no one felt comfortable.

Damon was stroking Vella's hair to calm her. He could feel her tearless sobbing against his chest, which only made him more furious with Bonnie. He glared at her again.

"We've all had a long night and Vella is not in the right state to speak right now. She nearly died and she's still weak, hungry and a little out of control. I'm not going to let you or anyone else," he looked at his brother. "Bother her right now."

Bonnie looked like she was going to say something, but she changed her mind. She didn't feel up to arguing with Damon, especially right now. He was too defensive when it came to his wife.

Damon didn't say another word as he led his wife up to their room, laying in the bed with her. She turned to face him, burying herself in the comfort of his embrace. The last thing she remembered, until the next morning, was listening to his heart beating and his rhythmic breathing before falling asleep from exhaustion.

Vella woke to the smell of cooking coming from the kitchen and the rowdy, boisterous voices of those who had stayed the night. She tried to roll on to her other side, but Damon still had his arm around her and he gripped her more tightly as she tried to move. Looking at him, he seemed asleep, but she could tell by his breathing that he was not. Instead of fighting to get free of his embrace, she wiggled a little, placing her lips on his and kissing them softly.

Damon couldn't help but kiss her back, much more fiercely than her gentle kiss. In seconds, Damon was on top of her, nibbling on her neck, while she moaned in pleasure. Vella dug her fingernails into his back as he slowly nibbled her neck and ear, then kissed her lips with a great deal of fervor. She was still half asleep and incredibly hungry, so she didn't realize when she bit his neck that she had bitten it much harder than she should have, making it more painfully than she had planned.

Damon hadn't anticipated Vella's over eagerness, or her lack of self control. All he could do was grab her roughly and pin her to the bed until she realized what had happened. He smiled as she stopped fighting, her face turning red with shame.

"I'm so sorry."

He smiled tenderly, releasing his tight grip, laying beside her. "Don't apologize. You didn't hurt me."

She smiled back, but she still felt badly. "I did hurt you."

"Only for a second," he smiled mischieviously. "Just call it payback for slapping you last night."

She returned his smile, but the mention of the slap brought her back to reality. She still had to go downstairs and face everyone this morning and there was no getting out of it. She sighed and jumped out of bed, coaxing Damon into the shower with her.

They both washed quickly, got dressed and sneaked out of the house before anyone could hear or see them. They both needed to hunt for some fresh blood. They were on edge but neither of them would admit it to the other. They just seemed to sense the need of the other. It didn't take long to satisfy their hunger, so only after a few minutes out, they returned to the boarding house.

"Good morning you two!" Caroline cried out cheerily. She was sitting on the couch in the livingroom as they entered the room. "DId you sleep well?"

Vella smiled, she always found Caroline's cheeriness amusing. "I did. How about you?"

"Perfectly fine," she replied. "I have a message for you." Vella looked at her questioningly. "Ron and Helen wanted to say goodbye in person, but they said you would understand that they had to leave before the sun came up."

"Thank you, Caroline," she said genuinely. "Why aren't you in the kitchen with everyone else?"

Matt started laughing, while Caroline's face changed a few shades of red.

"They kicked her out," Matt replied between laughs.

Caroline slapped him playfully, He jumped back but kept laughing. She rolled her eyes, glaring daggers at him. He continued to laugh for a moment before finally getting himself under control.

"Breakfast should almost be ready if you want some," Caroline said. "Oh. You probably don't want to since you went out this morning."

Vella smiled in an amused way. She wondered how someone who seemed so dumb at times, could be so observant.

"You're right," she answered. "We ate already. But we will join everyone anyway."

Caroline smiled, grabbed Matt's hand and pulled him into the kitchen. Vella was left shaking her head, laughing to herself.

"Are you ready, love?" Damon asked her as he entwined his fingers into hers.

Vella squeezed his hand, smiling. He squeezed her hand back as she leaned in and kissed him lightly on his cheek. He smiled and led her into the kitchen.

The kitchen was almost at capacity. No one could remember the last time there had been so many people in it at once. They had to put the extra leaf in the table and get the extra chairs out to seat everyone. By now, everyone was sitting down, eating, talking, laughing. That was until Vella and Damon walked in, then everyone went silent for a moment.

Vella looked at Damon for the strength she needed to go through with her confession. He smiled lovingly, squeezing her hand in support.

"Before I say anything else, I want to apologize to everyone for my behaviour last night. While it's not an excuse. I am still having problems controlling my impulses at times." She tried not to look at anyone particular, but she couldn't help but glance at Bonnie. "As for what I was doing last night..." She trailed off for a moment trying to gather the courage to tell her friends, no, she considered them her family, the truth. "I was making sure John Gilbert wouldn't be able to hurt any of us anymore."

"What did you do to him?" Elena asked, jumping up from her seat. Stefan jumped up too, putting a restraining hand on her shoulder.

"He's alive," she said quickly. "But at some point he may not wish he was."

"What did you do?" Elena repeated.

Vella gazed at Bonnie, before looking back at Elena. "I cursed him."

"Cursed him? What do you mean cursed him?" she asked exasperated, looking at Bonnie.

Bonnie tried to gaze at Elena comfortingly, then glared at Vella. "What did you curse him with?"

Vella returned Bonnie's glare with as much conviction. She was furious that anyone should be worried about John after all that he had done. "If he ever has a hand in hurting anyone again he will become a werewolf."

Everyone in the room gasped, looking at each other with surprise. Vella was smiling inwardly, but she kept her face as stoic as she could. She didn't want to admit to anyone how much she enjoyed her revenge.

"Why would you do that?" Alaric asked confused. "After all you did to break Tyler's curse, why would you wish that on anyone else?"

Vella glared angrily, fighting off the impulse to yell, scream and break things. Once she was calm enough, she narrowed her eyes. "Does anyone forget what that bastard did to me? He's a murderer and none of you can see why?" She breathed a few breaths to calm herself. "What I did to him is a lot less than he deserves."

No one could deny the truth in what she said, but most of them felt uncomfortable with the punishment. Once she knew no one else was going to ask her anything, she turned slowly and walked out of the kitchen, into the livingroom. She sat on the couch with her head back and eyes closed.

"Are you okay?" Damon asked concerned, following behind her moments later.

"I just need quiet for a few minutes...to help calm myself."

He stroked her hair lightly, smiling. "I'll be in the kitchen having some coffee."

"Thanks," she said with a grateful smile.

Damon stayed for a moment, studying the face of his wife. He loved her so much sometimes it hurt. He was feeling lucky she had survived last night's ordeal. He was so frightened after he found her almost dead. It still surprised him that he had found someone of his own to love after Katherine. He smiled, considering himself the luckiest man in the world, as he turned and went back into the kitchen.

Vella continued to sit on the couch with her head back and eyes closed for a short time. She needed some quiet time to herself to help calm her nerves. As she calmed down, she felt like she could fall asleep, even though she had just slept not long before, so she got up from the couch and walked out the front door and sat down on a chair. She wasn't there long before someone walked outside and ruined her quiet time.

"I hate to bug you," Jason said apologetically. "I just need to talk to you before I go back to the hotel."

Vella knew what was coming, but she had hoped Jason would have changed his mind by now.

"Are you going to keep your promise to me?" he asked.

She turned to face him, looking sadly. "Jason. I really don't think you've thought this through."

"You know that's not true. I've been thinking about it for over a year."

She had already tried to persuade him, more than once, but she knew he was adamant.

"Is this because of Damon?"

"No, Jason. I know Damon won't be happy if I turn you, but he will get over it."

"Then why?"

She released a long sigh. "This is not a life I would want anyone I care about to lead."

"Vella..."

"No, Jason. Being a vampire is not as much fun as it seems. I haven't lived any longer than you and I can't even fathom what an eternity will be like."

He smiled at her. "I think your eternity will be fine, you have someone who loves you like crazy."

She smiled. "I know. I'm very lucky."

"Yes, you are. Knowing all that you've been though and all you've done helping people, I'm glad you finally have someone. And someone who treats you like you deserve."

She smiled more brightly. "Yes, he is the best." Then she looked more seriously. "I know I promised you I would do this, but I didn't think it through at the time. But now that I've had time to think about it...I really don't feel comfortable doing it."

He frowned, looking sadly. "I don't want to make you do anything you don't want to do, not after all you've done for me."

She sighed. "Give me a day to think more about it."

Jason nodded his head in agreement, turned and walked back into the house.

Vella closed her eyes again, but only for a second. Someone had appeared in front of her, so she opened her eyes.

"Damon," she said startled.

Damon looked at her with disappointment. "More secrets?"

She sighed, looking ashamed. "You heard?" He nodded, not looking impressed.

"I knew you wouldn't want to know about this, Damon. I promised him before I even knew what he wanted."

"Why does he want you to turn him? Does he think he could get you back?"

She chuckled, but stopped when she saw the angry look on his face. "I told you there is nothing to be jealous about."

"Then why does he want to become a vampire?"

She shook her head and sighed. "Why else?" she asked sarcastically.

"Immortality?"

She chuckled. "No. It's the other reason."

"Love?"

"Yup."

He looked at her suspiciously, then she laughed.

"It's not with me, Damon. He's in love with a different vampire."

"I don't understand."

"He fell in love with a woman who turned out to be a vampire. He wants to be with her forever. You know how it is?"

He shook his head, narrowing his eyes. "Then why won't she turn him if they're in love?"

She smiled, then turned serious. "If things hadn't turned out the way they did and I asked you to turn me, how would you have handled that?"

"That's not fair."

"So, you would have refused?"

"No. I don't think I would have."

"You're the one who's lying now."

"Fine, you're right. I didn't want this life for you. I love you that much."

"Then you can understand why this woman doesn't want to turn Jason?"

"How do you even know she is in love with him as much as he's in love with her? And if it's enough for an eternity?"

"I don't know. That's exactly why I don't want to just do it."

"Is it the only reason?"

"No. I don't wish this life on anyone either. And..." she trailed off.

Damon walked closer, putting his arms on her hips. "And what?"

"And I know you wouldn't like me sharing my blood with someone, especially an ex."

He smirked. "I can't deny that."

"That sounds like a but."

He smiled and pulled her closer. "Why don't we go meet this woman. Then you will have everything you can to make a decision."

She looked at him pensively for a short time, then smiled. "Have I told you how much I love you today?"

"No, not today," he said grinning brightly.

Vella smiled widely, leaned in and kissed Damon lightly. "Let's go inside."

**A/N: I am not happy with this chapter but I realize it can't all be action lol. I actually meant to post this 3 days ago and kept forgetting. Im hoping i will be happier with the next chapter.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	86. Chapter 86

Chapter 86 ~ Veronica and John

Vella was surprised when Damon had agreed to go with her to meet Jason's girlfriend. So surprised, they even took his car and she let him drive. Of course she pretended to argue with him, but they both knew it was all in fun.

It was only a two hour drive to a little town just outside of Virginia. They had to stop a couple of times to ask for directions, the GPS was in Vella's car. She laughed at him every time she made him ask, while he mockingly glared at her, which only made her laugh more. But after several stops and a few detours, they managed to find the place they were looking for.

It was an old, decrepit looking farm house set back on a large property. There were two very tall willow trees on the property, which almost completely eclipsed it. If you hadn't known it was there you might not even notice it.

Damon parked in the dirt driveway, which was overgrown with grass and weeds. Vella jumped out immediately after he stopped the car and began walking towards the house. Damon had to catch up to her a few seconds later.

"Are you positive this is the place?" Damon asked.

She chuckled. "I thought you knew all about these places."

He rolled his eyes mockingly. "I don't know where all of them are."

She smiled, pointing to the door. "There's the black rose."

"So it is."

She smiled at him, taking his hand and knocked on the door. In seconds, the door creaked open and they walked in, closing the door behind them.

"Good day," welcomed a tall, dark haired man.

"We're here to see, Veronica," Vella stated.

"Ah. You must be the Salvatores," he said, motioning them to follow.

They followed the man into a large livingroom full of dark colored furniture, plush couches, chairs, old tables and assorted furniture. It was empty of people at the moment, but Vella could sense the room was used a lot. She assumed it was used more during the evening and night, the many windows in the old farmhouse were only shaded by light curtains, letting in the tiny bit of sunlight that was able to filter through the tall willow trees outside.

They continued to follow the man into a wide kitchen, full of old wooden cupboards, an old dining table and chairs, and antique appliances. They made a left after walking though the doorway, passing into another large room, which looked like an old dining room. There were a few assorted chairs in the room and a few end tables, but it was mostly empty. The curtains here were much thicker and kept out most of the light from the outside.

They once again turned to the left, but only had to walk a few steps before they got to an old wooden door. The man opened the door, standing beside it.

"She's downstairs," was all he said.

Vella thanked the man, and began to descend the stairs, with Damon close behind her. It was dark, with no light except from upstairs, until her and Damon walked far enough down the stairs, the man closed the door and it was completely dark. The stairway was old and narrow and the stairs steep. But with their vampire senses, neither had a problem making it down the stairs safely, despite the absence of any light.

At the bottom of the stairs, there was another door. Vella opened it, walking through casually. In the distance there were a few candles, so she headed that way, with Damon very close behind her. As they approached the candles, Vella noticed a door to the right. Light could be seen coming from underneath it. She was about to open the door when it opened widely on it's own and there was a woman standing in the threshhold.

"Hello," the woman greeted them. "You must be Vella and Damon. I'm Veronica, come in."

Vella studied the woman, before walking in the room. She was blonde, with long wavy hair, stunningly blue eyes and very curvacious. She was wearing a tight fitting, strapless dress that accentuated her curves. She also noticed that Damon was studying her as well. She felt a momentary pang of jealousy, before pushing it out of her mind. She was never the jealous type and she wasn't about to start now.

"It's nice to meet you, Veronica," Vella greeted her as she sat down on the couch, Damon sitting beside her.

Veronica smiled warmly, sitting down on a plush chair facing the couch. "And it's nice to finally meet you, Vella. I've heard so much about you."

She thought she noticed a hint of jealousy in her words, but she couldn't be sure. She wasn't sure what such a beautiful woman would have to be jealous of her for.

"I hope only good things," she replied with a grin, moving closer to Damon, resting a hand on his knee.

"Absolutely. Jason speaks very highly of you."

She grinned, feeling uncomfortable. "How long have you known, Jason?"

"I've known him a couple of years, but we didn't start seeing each other until a little over a year ago."

"Did he tell you why I wanted to meet you?"

This time it was Veronica that looked uncomfortable. "He told me he asked you to turn him."

"Yes."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him I wanted to meet you first, since you were the reason he said he wants to turn."

She sighed, looking sorrowful. "That is true. And I love him, but..." she looked down for a moment, before looking back to Vella. "You know what this life is like. I don't want this for him."

"I understand. I'm not even sure I want to turn him," Vella said, looking uncomfortable again. "I was hoping you would tell me why you won't turn him. Because he seems hell bent on having it happen, with or without you."

Veronica began nervously twirling her hair around her fingers. "It isn't because I don't love him. I love him very much. More than anyone I've ever known."

"Then why?" she asked curiously.

She sighed. "I've been around a long time, been with many men. Thought I loved a few of them, but in hindsight I didn't. I turned one of them. He promised me eternity. " She paused for a moment, staring off into space as if she was seeing something happening far away. "He turned out to be a huge jackass. He just used me to become immortal. He treated me like garbage then left me." Her face hardened. "I couldn't let him get away with it though. I hunted him down and killed him. Then I vowed I would never turn another person."

Both Vella and Damon were stunned into silence.

"I never told this to Jason," she said almost frantically. "I would appreciate if you would never mention this to him."

"Of course not," Vella agreed.

"Now you know why I won't turn him."

Vella looked at her supportively. "I completely understand. I'm sure I would feel the same way."

Suddenly Veronica was on her feet, looking frantic again. "I'm so sorry. I've completely forgotten my manners. Would you like something to drink? Coffee? Tea? Perhaps something a little stronger?"

Vella shook her head, but Damon spoke up. "Do you have any bourbon?"

"Absolutely," she replied. "I will be back in a moment." She strolled off quickly to the far side of the room, through another door.

Vella narrowed her eyes at Damon but didn't say anything.

"What?" he asked innocently.

She rolled her eyes. "You better take it easy. I'm not driving your car home. I hate driving stick."

He laughed sarcastically. "And I don't want you ruining the gears in my car."

She narrowed her eyes and slapped him playfully in the arm. "At least I let you drive this time."

"Let?" he replied mockingly, raising an eyebrow. "Since when do I need your permission?"

She rolled her eyes, laughing. "But you play the whipped husband so well."

He smiled, rolling his eyes sarcastically and laughed. "You've ruined my reputation. You do know that, right?"

She laughed and was about to say something, but Veronica walked in, handing a high ball glass to Damon and a tea cup to Vella.

"I know you didn't ask, but I had made some tea for myself earlier and thought you might like some."

"Thank you," Vella said, taking a sip of tea.

Veronica sat down, looking much calmer than before. "I really do love him."

Vella smiled. "I know you do. I can see it. And I know he loves you very much."

"I wish it was enough for me to be able to turn him, but I just can't."

"Jason is a good man, Veronica," Vella said truthfully. "I couldn't see him using you or hurting you. It's never been in him to hurt a woman...not even if they deserved it."

Veronica studied Vella for a moment. "Are you talking about his mother?"

"Yes," she snorted. "That woman deserved to have her ass kicked, but he never could do it." Her eyes had become hardened and angry.

"He told me about his upbringing."

"Telling is not like living it," she replied angrily.

"Vella," Damon called gently, putting an arm around her.

Vella looked at Damon angrily for a moment, before realizing she had lost momentary control of herself. She looked at him apologetically, then Veronica.

"I'm sorry. I'm still having problems with impulse control," she said with shame. "Jason's family is a tough topic to talk about rationally."

"It's quite alright. I completely understand."

"Regardless of his upbringing, he is a good man. No, he's a great man," she said with conviction. "I know he wouldn't hurt you."

Veronica gazed at her pensively. She was sure Vella was right, but she didn't think she could put herself though it again. "Even if I could agree. I don't think I could do it myself."

"I promised him I would do it. But I won't do it unless you agree," Vella said, avoiding Damon's gaze.

Veronica noticed his gaze. "And how do you feel about this, Damon?"

"This doesn't really concern me," he replied, trying to sound unconcerned.

"But it does," she replied. "Will you not be jealous if she turns him? After all, he is an ex."

Damon had been jealous and everyone knew that, even his wife. But he didn't really feel that way anymore. What he didn't like was the idea of his wife sharing her blood with anyone but him. He didn't think of it as jealousy. It was more like being possessive. He hated feeling that way.

"I'm not going to lie and say I'm happy with the decision," he said honestly. "But I trust my wife. I don't think I have anything to be jealous about...at least on her part."

Vella smiled at him lovingly. "You're right about that."

Veronica watched them carefully, while they entwined their hands, smiling at each other. She knew she had a tough decision to make, but she wasn't sure she could. But watching the couple, made her realize how much she loved Jason. She did want to be with him...forever. But as she was about to open her mouth and tell them that, the words were caught in her throat for a moment.

"Vella," she started. "I would be forever grateful if you could turn Jason for me. I know that I won't be able to do it."

"You're positive this is what you want?" she asked.

"Yes," she replied with no hesitation. "It's what I want."

Vella and Damon hung around for a little longer just talking, before they decided it was time for them to leave. Neither of them said much to each other before they left, or while in the car. Damon knew Vella needed some time to think and he didn't really have anything to say that he hadn't already said before. He would save his concerns for later.

After arriving home, Vella grabbed a bag of blood, draining it's contents dry, then went up to the bedroom she shared with Damon and laid down in bed. She was a little tired, plus she needed a little more time to ponder things.

She never could have imagined that all those weeks ago, Jason would have made her promise to do something she was completly against. She wasn't angry with him as much as she was angry with herself. She had been so hell bent on destroying John, she would have made a pact with the devil if she had needed to. She never would have dreamt that Jason would ask her for the one thing she didn't want to give him.

At some point Vella fell asleep, because she woke up much later laying on her bed. She was under the covers, which made her smile. Damon must have covered her up. She laid in bed for a short time just thinking about how lucky she was to have found Damon.

"Nice to see you're finally awake," Damon said, appearing in the doorway suddenly.

Vella jumped slightly, startled by his sudden appearance. "Was I asleep long?"

He walked over to her and plopped himself roughly on the bed next to her. "Yes and no," he teased.

She rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Well, which is it?"

"Long enough," he said with a smirk, stroking her hair gently. "We haven't had much time for each other lately."

"I know," she replied regretfully. "What's wrong with right now?"

Damon's eyes lit up brightly as he pulled his wife close and kissed her gently. He caressed her lightly, while also lightly kissing her mouth, then moving slowly across her chin, up to her ear, where he nibbled gently. He enjoyed the soft feel of her skin, her silky hair and her womanly scent.

Quiet moans of passion escaped Vella's lips as he began kissing her neck, lightly at first, then nibbling much rougher. She dug her nails into his back as he sunk his fangs into her neck drawing blood. He suckled the blood from the wound, moving his tongue in circles, tracing a trail up to her chin, then kissed her lips fervently. She kissed him back, running her fingers through his hair. She wound her fingers in his hair, grasping tightly, pulling roughly, but not too rough. He stopped kissing her, opened his eyes and smiled. She had opened her eyes too and was smiling as she lost herself in his beautiful, compelling eyes. She often enjoyed staring into their depths, sometimes getting lost within them.

"I love you, Damon," she whispered.

He smiled widely. "I love you too."

Later that evening, Damon surprised Vella by taking her out for dinner at her favorite restaurant. He had offered to take her to a movie afterwards, but after reading the titles of the movies playing, she decided she didn't want to see anything. Instead, they decided to hang out at The Grill for a while before going home.

Vella followed Damon to the bar, sitting beside him, scanning the room the entire time. She saw Matt, busily cleaning up a table, Caroline was sitting at a table with Bonnie, Tyler was playing pool with some friends, she hoped Damon wouldn't see him, he was still angry at him, and then she noticed John Gilbert sitting at a table in the corner, completely alone.

Vella felt herself tense up at the sight of John. She was no longer afraid of him, but she still wanted to kill him. She would never forget what he had said about her parents, not as long as she lived. She struggled for control of her emotions, while Damon turned to her, looking concerned.

"What's wrong, Vella?" he asked, gripping her hand firmly.

Vella gazed at him helplessly, she was afraid to try and speak. She slowly moved her head in the direction she had seen John, hoping he would understand.

Damon looked at her questioningly, before following the direction she had gazed. As soon as his eyes fell upon John, he knew what was wrong. He also knew how to fix it. "Stay right here," he said as he quickly got up and headed in John's direction.

Vella wanted to get up and follow Damon, despite him asking her not to, but she couldn't. She may have satisfied her revenge against John, but that didn't stop her from hating him immensely. She could listen to what was happening just as easily from where she was, and this way she wouldn't have to fight the urge to snap his neck.

"I'm surprised to see you're still around, John," Damon said with a sneer, sitting down at the booth seat across from John.

John narrowed his eyes. but instead of anger, there was a hint of fear. "I'm leaving town, you don't need to worry about that."

He snorted. "I'm not worried about you."

"I'm actually kind of glad I ran into you," John said, glancing in Vella's direction. "I wanted to talk to your wife before I left town."

"Do you think I would even allow you near her?"

He studied Damon's face, choosing his words carefully. "I know there's no reason to trust me, but all I want to do is talk to her for a minute and then I will be out of your lives for good."

Damon glared at John, but didn't reply. He wasn't going to force his wife to talk to him. He didn't want a replay of the last time she talked to him in a public place.

"I know she can hear me," John said, glancing over in her direction again.

Vella didn't want to feel goaded into a confrontation, but she felt she had no choice. If it meant he was going to leave town then she would just have to suck it up. Damon was there, so she knew she didn't have to worry too much. He wouldn't allow her to lose control.

She got up from her seat and approached the table slowly. Damon moved farther over on the booth seat to allow her to sit. She glared at John as she sat down, holding on to Damon's hand.

"What do you want, John?" she said indifferently.

He gazed into her eyes, but instead of defiance like she had usually seen, Vella saw cowardice, humility and shame.

"I know it will be little comfort to you, but I did care about your mother. And no matter what you think, I didn't want anything to happen to her or your sister." Vella's free hand balled into a fist, while she squeezed the one Damon was holding very tightly. "I know that you took everything from my safety deposit box, so I know you have that journal." Vella tried to remain stoic. She hadn't shown Damon the journal yet, in fact she had completely forgotten about it with all that had been going on and hadn't even browsed through it herself.

"I know that no matter what I say, you will read it. But I would implore you not to."

"Why is that, John?" she asked suspiciously.

"You may find this hard to believe, but your father wasn't a saint."

"Shut up, John!" she warned.

Damon released Vella's hand and wrapped his arm around her waist supportively. "That's enough, John."

He glared at Damon for a moment, before turning his attention back to Vella. "Read for yourself then, it doesn't matter to me. But don't say I didn't warn you." He paused for a moment, shifting in his seat. "I was trying to protect your mother, Vella. That's how this all began. Everything got out of control and messed up. If I could do it all over again I would, believe me."

Vella began to suddenly feel conflicted. She was sure he was lying, but at the same time she had a feeling he wasn't.

"I did love your mother, Vella. Now I realize that I didn't deserve her anymore than your father did," John averted his eyes to blink back tears. "I was blinded by my hatred for vampires."

"You used vampires to get back at us," Vella said. "I guess you didn't hate them all."

He snorted. "No, I do hate them. I figured if you managed to kill them then there are less vampires in the world. When I was done with them, I would have killed them myself."

"Now I'm done with you, John," Vella said, standing up.

"Hold on," he begged. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" she replied with surprise and sat back down. "You tried to kill me...wait, you did kill me and tried to kill me again and you apologize. Am I suppose to accept your apology and move on?" she spat.

"I hope that some day you will, but I don't blame you. You won't believe this but I hate myself even more than I hate vampires."

"I find that very difficult to believe."

"I understand," he said nodding gently. "But I have nothing but my shame now. No family, except Jeremy and Elena and I know they hate me, or at the very least dislike me very much."

"You brought this on yourself," she replied harshly. "You only have yourself to blame."

He nodded with shame. "I know. I wish I had listened to my brother." He paused for a moment, seeming like he wanted to say something. He opened his mouth, then closed it, standing up. "Thank you for listening to me. I'll be leaving town later today."

Vella had noticed his hesitation, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to know what he had held back. Her natural curiosity, intensified by her being a vampire, took over and wouldn't allow her to ignore it.

"What did you want to say, John?"

John turned to her with surprise. "It's not important," he replied quickly.

"Don't be evasive, John," she said angrily. "Just get it off your chest."

He shook his head looking frightened. "It's nothing."

Vella leaned closer, trying to grab a hold of John's wrist, but Damon was quicker. He grabbed her hand and held it firmly. "Vella," he called.

"No, Damon. He's hiding something and he's not leaving here until he tells me."

As John looked into Vella's deadly eyes, he knew he had to tell her. "You're not going to want to hear this."

"Enough of the commentary, John," she retorted. "Get on with it."

He sat down looking rather uncomfortably. "You're sister was my daughter."

"What?" Vella yelled so loudly everyone in the room turned and looked in her direction.

As soon as everyone went back to what they were doing, Vella made to lunge at John, but Damon was prepared and stopped her easily.

"You're lying!" she uttered completely livid. "I'm gonna kill you you son of a bitch!"

John jumped back in the booth, fearful for his safety. He was afraid of her, but he was more afraid of leaving and having her hunt him down for sport.

Damon struggled with Vella, all the while trying to calm her down. When he was finally able to get her to sit still, while still gripping her tightly, he glanced at John warningly.

"You asked," John said looking at Vella fearfully. "I'm not stupid enough to lie to you. Once you read the journal you found you'll see that I'm not lying."

Vella glared angrily, her eyes narrowed. She had to dig her fingernails into the palm of her hand to keep her mind off of killing John. "True or not, I want you out of my sight, _now_!"

John stood up from the table as fast as he could, heading for the exit. He gave a backwards glance before leaving The Grill. He was glad to have his secret off his chest, but he was afraid what the consequences of his confession might be. He decided to keep with his plan of leaving town before the evening was out.

**A/N: Did you see that coming? he he. I had thought about it since I introduced John, but I wasn't sure if that's what I was going to do. It seemed fitting. I'd love to know what you think. I will try and update soon.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	87. Chapter 87

Chapter 87 ~ The Journal

Damon kept a hold of Vella until he was positive she was able to control herself. Bonnie and Caroline had joined them at the booth after John had left, Bonnie had been worried and offered to help, but her help wasn't needed. Damon was able to calm his wife down himself.

Bonnie and Caroline were concerned after they had seen Vella yelling at John, but neither knew what had happened, nor did Damon or Vella tell them anything. And after some polite conversation, Damon and Vella excused themselves, leaving the bar.

Vella stood outside deeply breathing the cool evening air, while Damon placed a supportive arm around her waist. It was taking every ounce of self control she had to keep herself from hunting John down, or possibly just freaking out. She felt like she could kill and destroy anything, everything and anyone. Most of her control came from Damon's gentle support, the rest came from very deep down inside.

It took a few minutes before Damon was able to coax her into his car to take her home. The whole time he drove, he was afraid she would jump out of the car while it waas moving, but his worries were unfounded. They made it home without incident.

Vella stormed in the house, heading straight up to her bedroom. She immediately ransacked her dresser drawers, trying to find which drawer she had placed the journal in. She had finally found it, when Damon came up behind her, taking it out of her hands.

"I don't think you need to read this tonight," he said gently.

She turned to face him glaring evilly, but she caught the look of concern in his eyes, it was all it took to soften her anger. She blinked back tears, leaned her head against his chest, allowing him to wrap his arms around her tightly.

Vella sobbed in Damon's patient arms for a few minutes. Most of it was a release of her rage and anger, than because of what John had told her. When her sobbing was almost through, Damon led her to the bed, sitting down while easing her onto his lap.

"I'm sorry, Damon," she said, smiling apologetically. "I don't know how you have the patience to deal with my outbursts."

He smiled lovingly, kissing her forehead. "Because I love you."

She smiled and took his hand in hers. "And?" she teased.

He smirked knowingly. "_And_, when I'm busy worrying about you, I don't lose control of myself."

"I'm glad I can be of help," she said sarcastically with a grin.

He smiled back, happy to see she was calmer than she had been not too long before, but he was still concerned and worried. His concern was showing in his eyes enough to alert Vella of his thoughts.

"I'll be okay, Damon," she said persuasively. "I just need to keep my mind off of John right now."

Damon pulled her close, kissing her lips softly. She answered his gentle kiss with a need much stronger than his, throwing him off balance for a moment. He ran his hands up her shirt before he heard someone walking towards the doorway and withdrew them quickly.

Stefan appeared in the doorway looking nervous and a little embarrassed. "Can we talk downstairs?" he asked.

Damon was unable to hide his irritation as he glared at him much more harshly than he felt. "We'll be down in a minute."

Stefan nodded and left as quickly as he had come, leaving Damon and Vella alone again.

"I bet he wants to know what happened at The Grill tonight," Vella stated.

"You don't have to come down with me if you don't want to," Damon said. "I can explain it to him."

She smiled at him lovingly. "I'm glad you want to spare me from the unpleasantness, but I'm fine. Really."

He raised an eyebrow unbelievingly for a moment. He wasn't sure, but she did seem much better than he had expected her to be. He didn't know if he should be pleased, or worried.

The couple walked downstairs hand in hand. Neither were surprised to see Elena was in the livingroom with Stefan, sitting beside each other on the couch. Damon felt Vella shudder slightly so he squeezed her hand supportively. He led her to a chair, sat down, easing her on to his lap.

Stefan looked at the couple inquiringly. But when no one volunteered any information, he decided to ask himself.

"What happened with John at The Grill tonight?"

Elena narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Vella, who grinned sarcastically and shrugged her shoulders. "It's not really anyone's business what we discussed tonight."

"Kinda like it was no one's business when you cursed him then, huh?" Elena commented.

Vella narrowed her eyes. "John wanted to talk to _me_. If he'd wanted to talk to you I'm sure he would have."

"This is getting us nowhere," Stefan remarked.

"You're right, brother," Damon said glaring. "But what John had to say was between him and Vella. If she wants to tell you than she will."

Both Stefan and Elena looked at Vella expectationally, while she stared pensively at them. She had no idea how to tell them what had happened and she wasn't really sure she wanted to. She was thinking about letting Damon tell them, but changed her mind.

"Well, Elena. It seems that we're sort of related," she replied grinning. "Your Uncle was my sister's father."

Stefan was shocked, but not as shocked as Elena was. She never could have imagined something like this in her wildest dreams.

"I don't believe you," Elena said standing up defiantly.

Vella glared at her for a moment before laughing hysterically. "Do you honestly think I would lie about something so disturbing?"

Elena had to admit she was right. The last person would who want any tie to John was Vella. "Why would he suddenly tell you this?"

"He's leaving town. I guess he wanted it off of his chest."

Elena spied her warily. Vella seemed to be hiding something, but she wasn't sure. She decided to drop it for now, but she would discuss her concerns with Stefan later when they were alone.

"If that's all," Vella said standing up. "Then I'm going to grab something to eat and head to bed. It's been a long day."

When no one said anything immediately, Vella reached for Damon's hand, pulling him up. She kissed him on the cheek, then led him to the kitchen, where they grabbed something to eat before going up to their bedroom.

Vella woke up shortly after first light, feeling very unrested. She had tossed and turned throughout the night, disturbing her sleep and Damon's. She had spent most of the night that way, until a couple hours before sunrise.

All of her thoughts had drifted to the journal that she now knew with absolute certain had once belonged to her father. She wanted to find it and read it, but she had promised Damon that she wouldn't until he was awake. She knew he was extremely worried about her state of mind, which made a warmth of love well up inside of her, but at the same time, she was a little irritated. Her state of mind was as fine as it always had been, at least that's what she thought.

Vella followed her normal morning routine. Showering, dressing and eating, then she sat on the couch watching the morning news. Only nothing could keep her mind off of the journal. After much pacing and thinking, she grabbed a book and went out in the front of the house, sat in a chair and began to read. She didn't really feel like reading, so instead, she sat and watched the birds gathering their morning meals, feeding their young and singing their songs.

She became so engrossed with watching and listening to the birds, she didn't even notice when Stefan walked up behind her, until he tapped her on the shoulder.

Vella jumped out of her seat, turning around simultaneously. When she saw Stefan standing there, she was pleased at first, then irritated. She slapped him playfully on the shoulder, breathing heavily. "Thanks a lot!"

Stefan grinned. "I didn't mean to scare you."

She laughed. "You didn't scare me, you startled me."

He smiled, but he was laughing inside. "I thought you might want some company," he said, handing her a cup of coffee.

She returned his smile, thanked him for the coffee, then sat back down in her chair, while Stefan sat in the chair beside her.

They sat silently for a short time, sipping their cups of coffee. But Vella couldn't stand to sit quiet for very long.

"Is there something you want or need?" she asked, sounding a little snarkier than she had meant to.

He looked at her seriously. "If you ever need someone to talk to, I'll always be here for you."

Her first instinct was to tell Stefan she didn't need him. But something happened when she looked into his eyes, something strange and unexpected. She could feel his concern as if it was a part of her. It took her by surprise and made her feel uneasy.

"I'm actually fine, Stefan," she replied hesitantly.

"You don't seem fine."

Vella shook her head and stood up. "Thanks for the coffee," she said, then walked into the house without as much as a backwards glance.

After visiting the kitchen, to get Damon a cup of coffee, she went up to their bedroom hoping he was awake. He wasn't, so she sat in the chair by the bed for a few minutes, watching and listening to his rhythmic breathing. She wanted to wake him up, but he rarely ever woke her up when she was sleeping soundly, unless it was important. Despite her impatience, she decided to wait until he was awake.

Damon woke up not too long after she had begun waiting for him. After he showered, dressed, ate and had his caffeine fix, he finally gave in to Vella's demands. He had wanted to read the journal first before allowing her to read it, but she was already impatient and he couldn't think of anymore excuses to keep her away from it.

Damon sat on the bed watching her carefully. He noticed each tiny movement in her posture and expression on her face as she read. He wanted to be prepared for anything she might do.

Vella read almost half of the journal before setting it down on the bedside table. She closed her eyes, fighting back tears. When she opened them up again, she saw Damon looking at her with love and concern in his eyes.

"I hate to admit it, but John was right," Vella said regretfully. "I should have left well enough alone."

Damon pulled her to a standing position and wrapped his arms around her tightly. He felt the tension in her body release when she began to sob quietly. He held her for a few minutes, until she was calm again. Then he released his grip on her, allowing her to sit back down in her chair, while he sat down on the bed again.

Vella picked up the journal, searching for a specific page. She looked at Damon sadly and began to read;

_'I caught her with John again today. This time I couldn't supress my rage and I beat the hell out of him. She was angry with me but we talked and all seemed good again. That was until she told me the news. She is pregnant and it's John's baby, not mine. I went blind with rage and left the house to go after John. Before I found him I calmed down and realized it was a stupid thing to do. I already busted up my hand and now I'm not going to be able to perform any surgeries for awhile. I don't know what I'm going to do now, but I love Vivian too much to not try and work this out. I feel bad for my poor little darling, Vella. She doesn't understand anything that's going on and I think she's scared. If anything, I need to work out things for her.'_

Vella stopped reading and looked at Damon. "He never mentioned how he knew the baby was John's but obviously he believed it."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked warily.

She shook her head. "No. I'm going to read more."

Damon shook his head in agreement, smiling supportively. He sat still and quiet, watching, waiting, in case she needed him.

It was some time before Vella stopped reading. She was glancing at Damon sadly, but there were no tears in her eyes.

_'We worked things out for Vella's sake and the sake of the new baby. John has decided it would be better if I raised the baby as my own. He's left town and I hope I never see him again.'_

"There are a lot of spaces in the journal, I guess he didn't like to write all the time," Vella explained. "He only seemed to journal when he needed or wanted to keep a record of things."

"Do you really need to keep reading?" Damon asked. "You've got your answer."

Vella could hear the concern in his voice, but she thought it was unfounded. If she could deal with John being her sister's real dad, then what could there possibly in the journal that could be worse?

"Yes, I need to read it," she replied calmly, then lifted the book back up to read it.

Damon once again sat silently, waiting.

Vella read for awhile longer. She refused to quit reading until she read every letter of every word. Most of all, she was interested in anything her father might have wrote after he had become a vampire.

_'Things have been great for years, that was until John Gilbert showed up in town again. I trust my wife, but not him. He swears he's only in town to visit his brother and he doesn't want to see Violet, but I don't believe him. Why now?'_

Vella knew she was getting closer to answers. So close, she had to calm herself so she wouldn't try to read too quickly, she didn't want to miss anything.

_'Now that I know why John is in town, I'm actually relieved. The council has become more and more paranoid about my wife's magic and he wanted to defend her. They seem to trust his word, which is good. I know her family has been here since the town's founding and she feels she has as much right to stay in this town as the rest of the founding families. I wish she hadn't gotten so angry during the last meeting though. Bringing up the tomb has made them ever more paranoid. They're worried she would open it, but I know better.'_

"I guess John was good for something," Vella said to Damon casually, then turned back to the journal.

_'I'm not sure why Vella won't let her mother teach her magic. We've tried everything to convince her. Vivian is afraid that if she doesn't learn to control it now, that one day she will accidentally use it and hurt someone. I even caught John trying to talk to her about it, but I had to back away. I wanted to kick his ass. I still can't see him near Vella, without thinking about a time when everyone thought he was her father too.'_

Vella nearly choked as she read the last sentence out loud. She began to feel sick and dizzy at the thought of John as her father. She looked to Damon for comfort, who had put an arm around her already. This was not something she was going to forget so easily.

Once she was calm, she went back to reading, Damon sitting on the bed once again. He was desperately concerned about his wife now, even though she seemed to be fine. She had taken the news of almost being John's daughter way easier than he thought she should have. It was unsettling.

_'I am dead. Or at least I was. I was at the cabin with the family when I was killed by a vampire. I don't really remember anything. All I know is I am one of them now, or I will be if I feed. But I don't want to. I can't imagine drinking human blood. I'm a doctor. I save people, not feed off of them. I don't want to go through with this transition. I know what will happen if I don't feed soon...I will die, this time for good. I don't want to leave my girls, but I don't want them to see me as a monster. I don't know what to do.'_

Tears welled up in Vella's eyes, but she kept reading.

_'Vivian talked me into feeding on her blood, so I am now officially a vampire. I'm afraid I will hurt her or the girls, but she says she can handle it. She loves me too much to let me go. I didn't want this, but I'm going to try and deal with it.'_

"Are you okay?" Damon asked with concern.

"Yes," she said, touching his hand gently. "Thank you for asking."

He smiled at her and she smiled back.

_'The council found out about me and they want me killed. Vivian threatened them again and I'm sure this time they're really afraid. I can't trust anyone anymore, though Grayson Gilbert seems to want to help. Maybe because we've been colleagues for so long, I don't know. But his brother, John wants me dead more than ever now. He's been trying to convince Vivian to leave me, but she loves me and won't. I'm always feeling guilty, so much it hurts. Sometimes I feed on her, but I always feel uncomfortable about it. The last time Vella walked in on us and Viv had to erase her memory of it. I'm not sure who felt worse about it. I hate all of this. If not for Viv I would walk out into the sun and end it all for good. But who would protect her and the girls? With the council wanting blood, who knows what would happen to them. If Vella would just let her mother teach her magic, I might not have to worry so much.'_

Vella felt a lump in her throat as she read the last sentence. She knew she should have let her mother train her, but she didn't realize it had been so important. The guilt was almost overwhelming. But she couldn't stop reading, not yet.

_'I lost control of myself today for the first time. I nearly killed John tonight and when Viv tried to stop me with magic I attacked her. Thank God she was strong enough to stop me. But I almost wish she hadn't stop me from killing John. Not just him but the whole damn council. I want them all dead. It's their fault this happened to me, this damn curse. The only way this is going to end is with death, but I don't intend on it being mine...again. I'm going to kill them all, beginning with John. When I'm done with him I'm going straight for the Lockwood's. After what my wife did for their son Tyler... well they should have been way more grateful. If the council had a clue about the curse on their family, they might not be so willing to keep him as mayor any longer. Right now my main concern is John Gilbert. He's been playing nice but I don't trust him. I think he's planning something. Even Viv knows something is up. If something happens to her or the girls, no one will be safe from me.'_

Vella closed the journal loudly, looking straight ahead. She was fighting back tears, shaking slightly. She looked at Damon, who stared back with concern.

"That was the last passage he wrote," she explained. "His writing became almost illegible by the end of that paragraph. I think he was pretty angry."

"He didn't write after that?"

"No, the date of this last entry was only a few days before...he died."

Damon got up from the bed and pulled Vella up from her chair, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm sorry," he said as she held her tightly, letting her sob. She sobbed lightly for a minute, before getting control over herself.

"I'm okay," she said. "Really," she added when he raised his eyebrow in question.

"As long as you're sure," he said, kissing her forehead affectionately.

"Can I ask you for something?"

Damon was worried what she might ask, but he didn't want to let her know.

"Yes," he replied without hesitation.

"I need to go out for a bit, alone."

He frowned, furrowing his brow. "I don't know if that's a good idea."

She smiled gratefully. "I just want to go to the graveyard and think. I swear I'm okay."

Damon hugged her tightly, nodding his head in agreement. He was worried what she might do, but he had no way to justify not allowing her to go out.

"Promise me you will keep your phone turned on."

"Definitely," she said kissing his cheek.

Damon watched, albeit reluctantly, as Vella walked out of the room and he listened to her leaving the house. He was way too concerned and worried to sit still calmly, so he went downstairs and poured himself a drink. He hoped he had done the right thing.

**A/N: I had a difficult time with this chapter, that's why it took so long to write. The weird thing is, I was so concentrated on this chapter I actually had a dream with John Gilbert in it. It was strange and not related to this chapter but it goes to show what can happen when you're thinking way too much about something lol.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	88. Chapter 88

Chapter 88 ~ Jason

Vella didn't have any intention on visiting the graveyard, like she had told Damon. She had another plan, one she didn't want him to know about. This was something she had to do for her peace of mind and she wasn't going to let anyone stop her.

She ran vamp speed to the middle of town, searching among various buildings for a sign of what she was looking for. She could sense it was gone, so she ran the opposite way she had came, towards the road out of town.

It was a spur of the moment thing and she really hadn't put much thought into it, but finding what she was looking for might not be so easy. She could use magic, but it always made her tired. She couldn't risk exhausting herself, Damon might get suspicious when she returned home. All she could do was run and hope she could catch up to her prey.

It only took her a few minutes of running to find the car she had been looking for. It was racing down the road, windows open, completely oblivious to the hunter stalking it through the trees that ran along the side of the road.

She needed to stop the car, but she wasn't quite sure how. She was afraid if she stepped in the road she might cause an accident, but what other choice did she have? Magic. But she didn't want to use it if she could help it.

After much careful consideration, she decided to use a little bit of magic to slow the car down slightly, then step in the road far enough ahead of the car, so there would be plenty of time for it to stop. She was hoping it would work, because she was afraid the driver might just try and run her over.

She ran ahead of the car, dashing around trees at the same time she was using magic to slow the car. When she was far enough ahead, and she was sure there was no other traffic nearby, she jumped out in the middle of the road, in front of the car.

Vella watched as the car slowed and stopped, the driver looking completely terrified. She could sense the worry and fear as she approached the driver's side, which made her smile mischieviously.

"Hello, John," she greeted him with a sly grin.

John looked at her with wide eyes full of fear. "What do you want?" he answered, trying to be brave.

"Can you pull your car over to the side of the road?" she replied. "We need to talk."

He looked at her curiously, nodding his head in agreement. He parked the car at the side of the road and reluctantly got out, walking around to the other side of the car to get away from the road.

"I wouldn't have gone to these lengths to stop you if I didn't need to talk," she explained.

He studied her face, trying to gauge her mood. He didn't feel like testing her patience after the way she had stopped him.

"I thought we already talked. What more is there to say?"

She sighed, trying to gather the courage to talk to this man. A man she knew had something to do with her parent's and her sister's death. A man she hated, one who tried to kill her several times and had once succeeded. But he was the only one who might have the answer she needed so desperately.

"You read your father's journal, didn't you?" he asked knowingly.

"Yes," she replied. "I have a few questions for you."

John's brow furrowed as he studied her. He could tell she was being sincere, but he wasn't going to let his guard down just yet.

"I'll answer your questions the best I can."

"What I want, John...is honesty."

He nodded his head. "Nothing but."

She narrowed her eyes, but she didn't sense any hint of insincerity. "Why was my dad sure you were my sister's father?"

He looked at her apprehensively. "Your mother and I dated in school. We had a history," he explained. "And at the time your mother became pregnant, your parents weren't even living together. We had been seeing each other again while your parents were separated. When your mother finally decided to get back together with your father, she was already pregnant."

"Why didn't you want to raise your own baby? I don't understand."

"Do I look like father material?" he asked with a slight laugh. "I may not have liked your father much, but he was a good father to you. Better than I could ever be. I wanted your sister to be happy, so the best thing for her was to be raised in a house with two parents and not be shuffled to another house on weekends."

Vella looked at him in disbelief.

He laughed. "Don't give me any credit for it. It wasn't completely unselfish of me. I didn't really want to be a father. Not then."

She glared at him seriously. "What about me?"

"What about you?" he asked defensively.

"Why did he think you were my father as well?"

John was flabbergasted. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. Can I go?"

Vella narrowed her eyes dangerously. "You aren't going anywhere, John. Not until I get answers."

He stepped back a few steps, leaning up against the car. As Vella walked closer, he began looking like a trapped animal with no way out.

"Now, I will ask once again, John," Vella said with warning. "Why did he think you might have been my father?"

"Your mother got pregnant with you before your parents were married," he began to explain. "I was still seeing your mother when she got together with your dad. When she found out she was pregnant, she married your dad."

"But why? Why marry him and not you?"

John threw his hands up on the air in frustration. "Because I was stupid. I loved your mom but I wasn't ready for marriage and a baby. So she married your dad because he was willing to and because he was mature." He shook his head looking sadly. "The truth is, I have no idea who your father is, Vella."

"Why was everyone so sure it was him then?"

"He said he did a blood test, but he was a doctor, Vella. I don't know if he messed with the results," he continued to explain. "Back then DNA tests were newish and very expensive, so we did a blood test."

Vella interrupted. "I was a nurse, John, I know how it works. My question is, why didn't you ever question the result?"

He laughed ironically. "I told you I wasn't ready to be a father, so at that point I didn't really care. I wanted him to be the father. It's only been recently that I began to wonder."

She glared at him. "So you thought you would come and kill me and that would somehow answer your question."

"That's not what I had first intended," he said regretfully. "But when I found out you were a vampire, it didn't seem to matter any longer."

"Well, we're going to get a DNA test done," she said harshly. "No excuses."

He looked at her questioningly. "And how can we do that? I don't think your DNA is the same as when you were human."

She laughed. "You're right. But I already have DNA on file. You see, when I began my career as a nurse, we had to give our DNA profile to a medical database. Since we're put in a position to abuse our authority, it was mandatory."

He looked at her with understanding, but he was trepidatious. "Why do you want this, Vella? Wouldn't you be happier believing the man you always thought was your father, is your father?"

Vella hadn't really had time to think about it, but she knew she would be happier if she could have ignored it, but she knew she couldn't. She wasn't the type to let things go so easily and she needed the truth, whether it was going to hurt or not.

"I know this will be hard for you to understand, John, but I prefer to know the truth. I need to know."

He shook his head knowingly. "I understand, but what if I don't want to know?"

"You have no choice in this. You're going to volunteer your DNA willingly or I will take it."

He watched Vella carefully, standing in defiance. He didn't want to be forced into doing something, but at the same time he was curious. What if she was his daughter? How would he feel about it after he had tried to kill her? He didn't know how he would feel and he wasn't used to worrying about things that were unsure. But as he stood there watching her, he saw so much of Vivian in her. The only woman he had ever loved and probably ever would. She would have wanted to know for sure and he was sure she would want her daughter to know as well.

"Before I say yes, I have a question for you."

She narrowed her eyes, but smiled with amusement.

"If I turn out to be your father, what then?"

She wasn't really sure, she hadn't thought that far ahead. But what would he say if she told him that?

"I don't know, John. I'm trying not to think about it."

Vella watched John as he paced around a bit suddenly looking exhausted. He seemed to look much older in this moment than his years. He suddenly turned and looked at her reluctantly.

"I'll do this," he said quietly. "On one condition."

Vella raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"I want a copy of the results sent to me."

Vella tried to hold in her surprise at his request, but it was nearly impossible. It was the last thing she had expected him to say.

"Only if I can ask something of you as well."

He looked at her almost amused. He thought he knew what she was going to ask.

"What if you turn out to be my father?"

He turned his head to avoid her gaze. "I don't know either."

"Fine," she said resolutely. "Give me some of your DNA so I can get out of here."

"How?" he wondered.

"That's up to you, John," she said smiling slyly. "I would prefer blood."

He glared at her, but when he realized she was joking, he rolled his eyes and walked to his car. He opened the trunk and after some rummaging around in a suitcase, he pulled out his hairbrush.

"Will this do?" he asked, handing it to her.

She took the brush, examining the hair that was entwined in the bristels, looking for hair with the follicles still attached. She didn't know too much about DNA, but she knew she needed the hair to have the follicle still attached to be able to extract enough DNA.

"Do you have a piece of paper?" she asked.

He looked at her strangely. "Yes. Why?"

"Just get me a piece."

He climbed into the passenger side, opened the glove compartment, pulling out a pad of paper. He ripped a piece off, then walked back over to Vella and handed it to her.

Vella folded the paper a couple of times. Once she was done it resembled an envelope. She reached out quickly to John's head and plucked a bunch of hairs from his head, placing them in the makeshift envelope.

"Ouch," he said, putting his hand up to his head. "Was that really necessary?"

"Yes," she replied. "There were no epithelials in your hairbrush." She noticed the look of confusion on his face so she explained. "There were no follicles. That's where most of the DNA in your hair is."

He smiled politely, listening to her explanation. It didn't really matter to him as long as she knew what she was doing. He retrieved the pad of paper again and wrote something down. "This is my home address," he said bravely, handing the paper to Vella. "I trust that I can give that to you and still be able to feel safe."

Vella took the paper, folded it and slid it into the pocket of her jeans. "If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead," she replied casually.

John nodded his head in understanding, then walked to the back of his car and closed the trunk. He stood at the back, watching Vella who seemed to be deep in thought. He only watched for a minute, then hopped into the driver's side and started the car. He hesitated, not sure if he wanted to say something else while he had the chance. He noticed Vella seemed to be walking away, so he decided not to. But before he could put the car into gear, she was standing at his window.

"You looked like you had something to say," she stated.

He gazed into her eyes, feeling his resolve soften a little. "If it turns out I'm your father," he began, but he couldn't finish his thought.

She pursed her lips, trying not to cry, she was holding back tears. "If it turns out that way...I will be in touch," she said, then turned quickly and began the long run home.

When Vella made it back to town, she headed to the hospital to see an old friend. Her friend helped her arrange the DNA test. It had to be sent to a laboratory out of town, which was fine, but Vella wanted to make sure that no one but the two of them knew about it. If she could have had her way, no one would ever find out, but for now she needed her friend to know. She could always make her forget about it later if she really needed to.

After she left the hospital, she went to the graveyard. Not just because she wanted to visit her parents graves, but she didn't want to lie to Damon again. She just wouldn't be telling him the whole truth.

She sat at her parents graves, crying. The pain of their deaths hadn't felt so fresh in a long time, not since the first time she had become a vampire, and now it felt like it had just happened all over again. Everything she thought she had known was untrue. She felt like her world had been turned upside down and she had no idea how to right it again.

Silent tears fell for a short time, before she was able to finally compose herself. She hadn't noticed there were a few other people in the cemetery, not that she cared. But she didn't want them to see her magically grow new flowers on her parents graves, which she did when she was positive no one was looking in her direction. It had been a long time, but she said a prayer for her parents, as much as it was for herself.

Suddenly she was scanning the area quickly. She had a strange feeling she was being watched. After turning around a few times, she noticed a lone crow sitting in a tree nearby that seemed to be acting strangely. She couldn't be completely positive Damon had something to do with it, but she was pretty sure it was him. She figured she should be angry, but if it was him, she knew he was just worried about her. She had been away from the house for some time.

After arriving home, Vella made her way into the livingroom, where she found Damon sitting on the couch as if he had been expecting her that moment. He was smiling at her, but she noticed it wasn't quite as genuine as he was trying to make it look. He must be suspicious, she thought.

She walked over to Damon, who stood up as she approached, wrapping her arms around him. She allowed him to hold her tightly while she fought off a fresh wave of tears. She had cried enough today and she didn't want to cry anymore. When she was finally calm, she kissed Damon lightly and sat down on the couch.

Damon made Vella a drink, handed it to her then sat down beside her. He watched her drink it down swiftly, handing him the glass once it was empty.

"I was worried about you," he said with concern. "I almost went looking for you."

"Yes, I saw you're little friend checking up on me," she said rolling her eyes.

"You're not mad, are you?"

She smiled lovingly, laying her hand on his. "No."

"Do you feel like talking?"

"No, definitely not," she replied, snuggling up to him.

Damon draped his arm around his wife, happy to have her near. He had been more than a little worried about her while she was gone. And even though she was back and in once piece, seemingly fine, he was still very concerned.

"I hate to interrupt our quiet time," he said to his wife regretfully. "But you do remember what today is, right?"

Vella looked at him with confusion, trying to think, but she couldn't remember planning anything recently. "No. I guess whatever it is slipped my mind."

He sighed deeply, looking serious. "Are you breaking your promise then?"

Suddenly it dawned on her what she had forgotten. "I promised to turn Jason today."

"Yes, that," he said with disdain.

"You're not going to argue with me about it, are you?"

"No. But if it was so important, why did you forget about it?"

She glared at him, pulling away and stood up. She was going to say something then thought better of it. Instead she walked up to her bedroom and changed into a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt.

Damon came up to the bedroom while she was changing. He sat on the bed and watched her, but didn't say anything. He knew she was upset, but he wished she would talk to him. He had no idea what exactly she was most upset about, but he was sure it had something to do with John.

"Are you sure you don't need to talk?" he asked bravely.

Vella stopped brushing her hair to glare at him. She was going to say something, but she held herself in check. She knew she was upset about John, and she didn't want to let it come between her and Damon. She softened her glare, rolled her eyes and continued to brush her hair without replying.

Damon knew better than to push her. He stood up and walked to the doorway and was about to exit, but he turned and looked at Vella instead. "I hope you know you can talk to me about anything, love," he said, then turned and walked out of the room.

Vella kept a tough resolve, but she did feel bad. She wasn't sure why she didn't want to open up to Damon about John, but she just felt she couldn't. She hated to burden him and it seemed to her that was all she had been doing lately. She only wished she could have discussed her issues with someone else, but she felt no one else would understand. She felt stuck and it was eating her up inside.

She returned downstairs once she was finished brushing her hair. She poured herself half a glass of lemonade in the kitchen, then filled the rest up with vodka in the livingroom.

Damon watched her quietly, not willing to utter a word, he didn't want to upset her any more than she already was. He was already a little on edge, and he was afraid that if Vella decided to fight with him, he would be way more than willing to fight back. He didn't want that. So his solution was to keep quiet.

Vella finished her drink and began to pace. She was watching the clock like a hawk, knowing that Jason was never late. She was not looking forward to turning Jason, but she had promised him and she was unwilling to break a promise, even if she disagreed with it. She knew Damon wasn't happy about it either, but he had promised to stay with her, even though she knew he would rather be almost anywhere else. She stole a quick glance at him, but as her eyes rested on him, she suddenly felt compelled to talk to him.

"Damon," she began apologetically. "I'm really..." Then there was a knock at the door. She looked at him pleadingly, then answered the door.

"Hi, Vella," Jason greeted her warmly. "I hope you don't mind I brought a friend."

Vella's brow furrowed as she looked over the young woman standing beside him. She was not impressed he had brought someone to her house without asking and she was sure Damon would be even less impressed. She already had reservations about doing this and now she was even more trepidatious.

"Her name is, Julia," he said, before she could reply. "She's here to be my...donor."

Vella smiled, fakely, and led them into the livingroom, all the while she was questioning her own actions. Everything felt wrong, almost surreal. This day felt like one bad nightmare she just couldn't wake up from. She didn't know how everything had ended up so out of hand, but she would have done anything to fix it.

Damon looked at her strangely as the ensemble walked into the livingroom, but he didn't comment. He had intended only to stay and observe and to be supportive. He wanted nothing to do with what he viewed as a tragedy. If not for his wife needing him, he would have rather been some place else. He filled his empty glass with scotch, sat back down and waited to see if he would be needed.

Vella led the young woman to a chair while she took Jason into the kitchen for a moment. She was hoping to talk him out of this, but even before she said something, she knew. She knew he wasn't going to change his mind.

All she wanted to do was cast doubt in his mind, but she knew it was no use, he was like her, once his mind was made up, it was difficult to change it. She wanted to tell him how much she was hurting inside, but she couldn't. Not only because she couldn't make the words come out, but she knew Damon would be listening. It was the worst possible day for this, but she couldn't explain why.

After a few minutes of trying to cajole him into changing his mind, she finally gave up, taking him back into the livingroom. She gave Damon a pleading look, but he looked away. He wanted nothing to do with what she was doing.

Vella stood in front of Jason, who was smiling eagerly, and tried her best to think of her hunger. It took a minute of concentrating and trying to forget she was being watched before she was able to make her fangs descend. Vella grabbed Jason's arm roughly, biting it harder than she needed to, drinking just enough blood to make him slightly light headed, but nothing more. She then raised her arm up to her mouth, piercing her skin with her fangs, then offered her bleeding wrist to Jason.

Jason took her wrist, looking at it apprehensively before raising it to his mouth and taking a taste. He squinted his eyes as he sampled it, but he soon acquired a taste for it, lapping it up almost eagerly.

The sensation felt very strange to Vella, as she watched him drinking her blood. It almost seemed like she was watching from afar. She wanted to yank her hand away, knowing her blood was only supposed to be shared with Damon, but somehow she couldn't. Then all of a sudden she was back in her body, seeing and feeling first hand. She was sure Jason had had enough blood, so she pulled her arm away from him.

Vella stole a glance at Damon, who was not looking directly at her, but she could tell he had been watching. She looked at Jason, who's mouth was shining scarlet, and felt her vampire instincts kick in. She had to fight very hard for control over those instincts, without letting it show she was. It had only taken a second to gain control over herself, but it seemed much longer.

Vella knew the only part she had left to play was to kill Jason. But as she stood there, gazing at him with the eyes of an old friend and ex-lover, she just couldn't go through with it. She couldn't kill someone she cared about, even if the end result meant he would be immortal.

She turned to Damon, with a hopeful pleading look in her eyes, but he shook his head silently in refusal. He had already told her he wouldn't help.

"What's wrong, Vella?" Jason asked hesitantly.

"I can't do it," she replied sadly. "I can't kill you."

"You promised me."

"I know what I promised, but I just can't go through with it."

He looked at her sadly, almost begging. "Please, Vella. Just snap my neck quickly. It will be instantaneous and I won't feel anything."

She knew he was right. She had been killed the first time with a quick snap to the neck and she didn't feel or remember anything about it when she woke up. But she didn't think she could go through with it. The alternative was for him to kill himself

Once again Vella felt like she was outside her body, watching it from afar. She didn't feel anything as she snapped Jason's neck, letting his body fall unceremoniously to the floor. The thud of his body brought her back to her own awareness again.

She stared down at Jason's body in disbelief for a second, before she completely understood what had happened. She didn't know what was happening to her, but she was more than a little frightened. She bent down, scooping his lifeless body up in her arms and carried him to the couch, laying him down gently. She noticed Damon had moved from the couch and was now sitting in a chair beside the couch.

Vella kept vigil over Jason while he was dead, refusing to talk to anyone, which made the waiting very awkward for everyone. She had turned her emotions off and while she suspected Damon knew, she didn't want to speak and leave absolutely no doubt in his mind. She hated the feeling of being inhuman, but she was hating herself more at the moment, which is why she did it. She only wanted to get through with Jason's transition, then she would deal with her feelings.

Jason's transition went much more smoothly then she had anticipated. She assumed it was his knowledge about vampires that helped. It also helped that his friend Julia had been there to donate her blood to him. She knew he would be able to control his blood lust, which she was happy for. She would hate to have to hurt Jason, but she had warned him. If he began hurting people, she would do what she had to to stop him, even if it meant killing him.

Vella stayed up with Jason all night, just to be sure he was okay. He wouldn't be able to walk in the sun, so he would have to get used to being a night person. More than anything, she just wanted to make sure he didn't hurt anyone.

Jason had begged and pleaded with her to make him a daywalker, but it was all part of the deal. If he wanted to become a vampire so badly, he would have to take it exactly as it is. He had agreed, albeit reluctantly, but he didn't like it. He had only agreed because it was the only way Vella would have agreed to turn him and that was all that really mattered to him.

Once the sun rose, Vella went to bed. Damon had went to bed hours before, refusing to stay up with her. Now that she was feeling again, it was easy for her to be upset with him, even though she understood why he was acting the way he was acting. She just climbed into her spot on the bed and fell asleep almost instantly, purely from exhaustion.

**A/N: I'm so sorry it's been so long since I've updated, but I have almost no internet access for awhile. I've been busy writing though and I'm up to chapter 102...if you can believe that. I will update again in a few days or so, I want to space them apart enough to give you a chance to read the chapters before a new one is posted. I know this one wasn't too interesting but I swear some really dramatic stuff is going to be happening soon. I swear!**

**Oh, and if you're a fan of Supernatural, I'm going to be writing a TVD-SPN crossover, with Vella as well. I started it, but I'm not ready to post anything yet. But when I do, you will know about it.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	89. Chapter 89

Chapter 89 ~ Consequences of a Guilty Mind

Vella slept rather fitfully through the morning and early afternoon. She laid in bed for quite a while after she awoke, just thinking. Her stomach was aching, but she was unsure exactly why. She had eaten shortly before going to bed so she was positive it wasn't hunger.

When she finally decided to get out of bed it was late in the afternoon. Damon was nowhere to be seen, not that she was surprised, and either was Stefan. She checked on Jason, who was still fast asleep, then found something to eat.

She sat on the couch staring off into space. Her head beginning to pound and her stomach beginning to ache more painfully. She now realized her pain had not come from hunger, since she had just eaten, but from something else, she just wasn't sure what it could be.

She closed her eyes, trying to relax and not think about the pain, but while her eyes were closed, she began seeing glimpses of things that had happened the night before. The look of disappointment in Damon's eyes, feeding on Jason, killing Jason, and watching him feed on Julia. It was that moment that she realized she was the monster she had tried not to become.

Guilt began to flood her mind like water from a dam that had broke loose. Her chest felt like it had a heavy weight on it, crushing her very spirit. She hadn't realized that turning off her emotions for a short time the night before would bring them crashing all down at once, especially in this capacity.

She suddenly realized what had happened to her the night before. Every time she had to do something she felt guilty about, she had separated her mind from her body and now she was paying the price. Every emotion she should have felt the night before was compounded now.

Vella tried her best to lock her emotions up again, but no matter how hard she tried, the switch seemed to be broken. The pain was practically debilitating, making her want to hide, cry and scream, all at the same time. She knew a part of the pain came from her visit with John earlier in the day, so even if there had been someone around to talk to, she wasn't sure it would have helped, since she couldn't talk about that with anyone just yet.

What was really surprising to Vella was the amount of guilt she had about Jason. She never would have agreed to go through with it if she had known. But how could she have known? She had never turned someone before, so she had nothing to relate it to.

When the sun went down, Jason finally woke up. Vella had called Veronica, so she arrived just in time to take him with her. After a brief farewell, they left on their way.

Once she was alone again, Vella wondered where Damon was, though she had a pretty good idea where he probably was, The Grill. In the state she was in, it wasn't really a good idea to search for him, but she just couldn't spend one more minute alone in the huge, quiet boarding house.

When she arrived at The Grill, she glanced towards the bar area, expecting to find Damon sitting there, but he wasn't. She quickly scanned the room and found him, sitting with their friends, all of them.

Feeling slighted, she ignored them, walking to the bar and ordering a drink. She drank it quickly, then ordered another, a double this time. By the time she had drank the double, plus two more, she was feeling brave enough to walk over to the table.

As she approached the table, everyone looked at her in surprise. They had all been so busy talking and laughing, no one had noticed she'd come in, even Damon.

"Hiya, Vella!" Caroline greeted her cheerfully.

Vella glared at her, glancing quickly at everyone assembled at the table. "Hello, Caroline," she replied, then glared at Damon. "Can I speak to you in private?"

Damon looked at her confused, but stood up and followed her into the hallway where the bathrooms are.

"So this is what you do to avoid me?" she asked harshly.

"What are you talking about?" he asked narrowing his eyes in curiosity.

"Are you so pissed at me that you feel the need to come here and hang out with everyone?"

"Who says I'm pissed at you?"

"Why are you avoiding me then?"

"I'm not avoiding you, Vella. Why would you even think that?"

He seemed sincere to her and she knew it was irrational, but she couldn't stop herself. "You haven't spoken to me since last night and even that was only small talk."

"You were busy with Jason and I wanted nothing to do with that."

"So, because of Jason you don't want to speak to me?"

"No, that's not it," he said seriously. "You've been out of sorts since you read your father's journal, I thought you needed time to yourself."

"And that's all it is?"

"Yes," he replied, looking at her strangely. "What else would it be?"

She glared at him in disbelief, turned and walked back into the main room. She walked up to the table, looking angry. "Thanks for inviting me," she said sarcastically, speaking to no one in particular.

Everyone looked at her in stunned disbelief. Damon walked up behind Vella as Jeremy replied. "We all just happened to be here at the same time.".

"Whatever," she said, rolling her eyes. "It's obvious no one wants me around," she gazed at Damon as she spoke.

"You know that's not true," Elena said.

"Really?" she asked mockingly, while glancing at Alaric, then shifting her gaze to Jenna. "It seems everyone is happier when I'm not around."

"Vella..." Damon said, as he laid a hand on her shoulder.

Vella didn't allow him to finish. She pushed him off of her, knocking him a few feet backwards, hitting the table with her arm as she swung around to leave, knocking several glasses on the table over. Nearly everyone at the table jumped out of their seats, trying to avoid the drinks from spilling all over them and everywhere else. In the confusion, Stefan managed to grab Vella by the wrist firmly and direct her outside.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Stefan asked, glaring at her angrily.

Vella tried to avoid his gaze, but for some reason she was unable to.

"Seriously, Vella. What's going on?"

She realized then it was the blood connection between her and Stefan that kept her standing there calmly, unable to move. But the connection was not strong enough to make her tell him what was bothering her. She didn't intend on telling him anything. "I think I'm just tired," she lied. "It's been a long couple of days."

He gazed at her suspiciously, finding it hard to believe that lack of sleep was to blame for her attitude. But he could tell she wasn't going to tell him what was really wrong, at least that's what her past behaviour dictated to him. "Stay here," he directed her. "I'm going to get Damon to take you home."

"I can make it there on my own," she protested.

"I would feel better if he took you home," he replied, walking back into the building.

Vella wanted to leave, but Stefan had insisted on her waiting, so that's what she did, not happily though.

Stefan found Damon sitting at the table with everyone else. The table had been cleaned and everyone was calm once again. He pulled Damon aside, talking so quietly that no one but themselves could hear. "Vella's waiting outside for you. You need to take her home."

Damon wasn't sure what was more upsetting to him, Vella's outburst, or Stefan constantly interfering in their relationship. He was too upset to mention anything to his brother right now, but he would remember to at a later date. Instead, he rolled his eyes at his brother and went outside to find his wife.

Vella was still standing where Stefan had left her, when Damon arrived outside. He didn't say anything to her, but walked to his car. She followed a few steps behind him, also not speaking.

The ride home was quiet, neither really had anything to say to each other, at least nothing they wanted to say while in the car. Damon was upset at his brother and worried about his wife. He knew that she was upset about everything she had read in her father's journal, but he hadn't realized how upset until tonight. She had told him it was all okay, but now he knew different, and he intended on making her talk, even if she didn't want to.

Vella immediately went up to the bedroom, she shared with Damon, when they arrived home. She had expected Damon to follow right behind her, but she was glad when he went into the livingroom and poured himself a drink first, it would make him a little less cranky.

Vella sat on the edge of the bed waiting for Damon. He came into the room a minute later, sitting at the end of the bed, facing her. He looked at her without saying a word, studying her face, trying to think of something to ask her, something that might help her. But he didn't have an exact idea what she was upset about.

"Vella, what's got you so upset?" he asked with worry.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm fine."

"You are not fine," he said irritated. "What was your problem at The Grill?"

"You mean your second home?"

He narrowed his eyes at her questioningly. "If you're upset that I'm spending too much time there, why didn't you just say something?"

Vella averted her eyes, looking at the blank wall. "I don't know."

"That's because it's not true. Something else is bothering you."

"If you're such an expert than you'd already know."

Damon stood up, walked closer and sat right next to his wife. He put one arm around her, gripping her firmly, then took his other hand and lifted her chin until she was forced to look into his eyes. "Will you please talk to me, Vella. I'm very worried about you right now."

As she looked into his deep blue eyes, full of concern, she could see how much pain he was in. But what could she tell him? Definitely not the truth, at least not the whole truth. She didn't even want to believe that John was her father, so how could she talk about it? She just couldn't. Not now.

She sighed deeply, trying to turn away, but he gripped her chin firmly. "I don't really want to talk about it right now."

"You're going to talk about it right now," he whispered gently. "I'm afraid I'm losing you."

She jerked her head away from his hand when he loosened his grip, but kept her eyes on his. "Losing me? Why would you think that?"

"You're pushing me away again, keeping secrets, unwilling to discuss what's bothering you," he said, fighting back tears.

Vella wrapped her arms around him. "You're not gonna lose me," she whispered, burying her face in his chest. She felt even more guilty now than she had before. She hadn't realized she was hurting Damon, and she hated herself for it. But she still couldn't tell him. Not yet.

Damon held his wife tightly, until she pulled away. She laid on the bed, while he laid behind her, wrapping his arm around her. They laid still and quiet for a long time, neither speaking. Eventually Damon dozed off, but he didn't relinquish his grip on his wife. She lay in his grasp for a long time, quietly contemplating things. It was several hours before she was finally able to sleep.

Vella woke up the next morning in exactly the same position as she had fallen asleep in. She half expected Damon to be laying beside her still, but he wasn't. She could hear him downstairs speaking to his brother, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. It didn't really matter, she was pleased that he was still home.

As she lay there, hoping, waiting, that Damon would hurry and come upstairs, she began to think. Her thoughts made her feel heavy and tired, even though she had just woke up. She decided to lay in bed, dozing off again.

It was around noon when Vella woke up again. Sleep had not helped her feel more awake, in fact it made her feel worse than before. She rolled around a bit, grappling with her covers, but she couldn't get comfortable. It didn't matter that she was uncomfortable though, she still didn't want to get out of bed. Her bed seemed like the only safe place and she didn't want to leave it.

Damon tried coaxing Vella out of bed a few times, but by late afternoon he gave up. He could tell she wasn't going to get out of bed, so he left her alone, spending the night in the livingroom, eventually falling asleep on the couch.

In the morning, Damon tried coaxing her out of bed again, with the same result. He brought a bag of blood upstairs for her, leaving it on the nightstand. He hoped she would at least eat something, because she hadn't eaten anything at all the day before. But when he came to check on her a couple of hours later, it hadn't been opened.

Damon had hoped Vella would snap out of whatever it was that was bothering her, but now it appeared to him that she was depressed. He had been concerned, but he was way beyond that now. After speaking at length with Stefan and even her best friend, Mara, he still had no idea what to do for her. She didn't want to eat, she didn't want to talk or do anything, except sleep.

"She's deep in despair, Damon," Stefan said, laying a supportive arm on his shoulder. "I wish I knew what to do for her, but you know what it can be like. Everything we feel, we feel so intensely, we're always a step away from such powerful emotions. Unfortunately she isn't able to escape this deep depression right now." He paused for a moment, squeezing Damon's shoulder in support. "If we only knew what was bothering her, we might be able to help her."

Damon shook his head sadly, fighting off tears. He felt like that was all he had been doing for the past two days. He wanted to give in to the fear and the sadness, but he had to be strong for Vella. He would never admit it, but he was frightened more than he had ever had been in his many years. With all the dangerous times he had encountered with Vella, none seemed as scary or as hopeless as this situation.

On the third day of her deep depression, Damon carried her out of the bedroom, undressed her, bathed her, redressed her then force fed her. The whole time she had her eyes open, but it seemed to him that she wasn't really there. It broke his heart to even be near her while she was like this. Once he had put Vella back to bed, he had a few drinks in the livingroom, trying to escape for a short time. Until there was an unexpected knock at the door.

Damon opened the door, surprised to see a delivery man standing there.

"I have a letter for a Mrs. Vella Salvatore," the delivery man announced.

"She's sick in bed right now," Damon answered. "I'm her husband. I can take the letter."

"I have very strict orders not to hand this letter to anyone but your wife. It's confidential."

He knew he shouldn't, but Damon couldn't resist. He stared into the man's eyes, compelling him to hand over the letter, which he did. Then he made the man think he had handed it to Vella, and he left on his way.

He wondered if he should open it, since Vella was in no condition, but he didn't want to do that. Whatever was in the envelope was private and none of his business. And even though he wondered if it had something to do with her depression, he wouldn't disrespect his wife's privacy, at least not yet.

Damon hid the envelope somewhere safe, then sat on the couch with a drink. He was staring off into space when an idea of what might be bothering his wife came to him. He was angry with himself for not realizing it sooner.

He went upstairs to find his wife still laying on the bed, her eyes closed, but she was awake, he could tell by her breathing. He sat down on the chair beside the bed, facing her. He reached out his hand, stroking her hair gently. He noticed she flinched as he made contact with her, then was still once again.

"Vella. Please open your eyes," he pleaded gently.

Vella opened her eyes slowly, blinking several times.

"I know what's bothering you, Vella...and I'm sorry."

She looked at him confused. "What are you sorry for?" she asked, her voice cracking from not using it in so long.

"I should have seen this coming. I should have known you were too soft hearted to do this."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, pulling herself to a sitting position.

He tried not to show any surprise when she sat up, though he was. "This is about Jason. You're feeling guilty, aren't you?"

"Why would I feel guilty?" she asked.

"Because you killed him."

"But he asked me to."

"But you didn't want to do it. I saw it in your eyes that night," he said, looking apologetic. "I shouldn't have been so cold. I was jealous and angry and I let it get the best of me."

"Maybe. But I was the one who made the deal with him. Right or wrong it was my responsibility."

"You're partly right," he said, taking her hand. "I should have supported you more. I should have known you would feel guilty."

"How could you know that?" she asked incredulously. "Are you a mind reader now?"

"No," he replied shaking his head. "But I know you. We talked about it once a long time ago, turning someone. Do you remember?"

Vella closed her eyes, trying to remember. She couldn't recall a specific conversation about it, but she knew they had discussed turning people at some point. "No, I don't recall," she replied, opening her eyes again.

Damon pulled her into an embrace, holding her tightly. They talked for a while, mostly about Jason, but also about things that Vella had read in her father's journal. She never mentioned the possibility that John was her father, but she did discuss a hypothetical situation with him. How things might have been if he had been her father as well. He never once suspected that it could be the truth, or that she was hiding something. It made her feel guilty but she just couldn't deal with that now. She had to try and get past everything, if not for herself, than for Damon. She would deal with the John situation, if and when there was something to deal with, not before.

Damon and Vella talked on and off for the rest of the day. It made Vella feel better, even though she was keeping one secret to herself. Despite that, her guilt lessened and she was able to dig herself out of despair. She wasn't completely past everything, but she was able to function and that was all she needed in the meantime.

The next few days, for Vella, were calm and peaceful. She felt a little guilty about monopolizing Damon's time, but she was happy he was spending almost every waking moment with her.

After a week had passed and she hadn't received her DNA results, she began to worry. She finally contacted her friend from the hospital after almost two weeks went by. When her friend told her the results had been sent only a few days after she had been to visit her, she became worried. Her worst fears were realized when she contacted the delivery company and spoke to the man who had delivered the results. He swore up and down he remembered handing the envelope to her personally, but of course he hadn't. She knew of only one person who would have, or could have, compelled the man; Damon.

Vella's worry and fear soon became anxiety, almost close to panic. She didn't know if he'd read the letter or where the letter was. And she didn't want to ask Damon for fear of his reaction. But she didn't have a choice, she had to ask him. It was the only way she would ever find out. It was either that or give into her fear and guilt again and crawl into her bed and never come out. She wasn't going to let that happen ever again.

Damon arrived home in the middle of the afternoon. Vella felt panic wash over her like a tidal wave, but she knew she had to keep her cool. She couldn't let Damon know how bothered she was by the missing letter.

"Damon," she called. "Did a letter come for me recently?"

"I'm so sorry," he said sincerely. "I'd forgotten all about it."

"May I have it, please?"

"Of course," he replied, fetching the letter from the study and handing it to her. "What's in the letter?"

Vella didn't want to tell him, but would he pressure her for an answer if she told him it was private, she wondered.

"It's a private matter," she replied.

He gazed at her shrewdly, wondering what could possibly be so private.

"It's so private you can't even discuss it with me?"

"I don't even know what's in the letter, Damon," she said irritably. "Maybe once I read it we can talk about it."

"Maybe?" he asked snidly.

She glared at him in reply to his remark, but said nothing else.

"Vella?"

"Look, Damon. This is something I need to read on my own," she explained. "If and when I need to talk to you...I will. I promise."

Vella noticed a look of worry wash over his face, even though he tried very hard to hide it.

"Damon. Don't worry so much, you're gonna give yourself wrinkles," she said jokingly.

Damon smiled, rolling his eyes mockingly. He approached her slowly, wrapping his arms around her and kissed her softly. "If this is something you need to do on your own than I'll respect that. Just promise me you will talk to me if you need to. Don't try to be brave."

"I promise," she said, kissing him lightly on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you too," he replied, smiling lovingly.

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, the computer I was able to use broke down. Always something lol. Now I have to use the library.**

**I know this isn't the most interesting chapter, but it's coming. You'll find out the results of the DNA test next chapter...in a few days.**

**Also, I'm gonna post the first chapter to my TVD-SPN (supernatural) crossover.**

**I also began writing a SPN story as well. Seems i woke up with the idea and it's just came to me. I have several chapters written already.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	90. Chapter 90

Chapter 90 ~ An Ominous Warning

It had been almost a full day since Vella had read her DNA results. She was sitting in the kitchen having coffee and reading the newspaper when Damon walked in. He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat quietly at the table.

"Good morning, Damon," she greeted, peeking her head out from the newspaper.

"Good morning, love," he said, kissing her gently on the cheek. "How are you this morning?"

She knew it was a loaded question and had to think of the best way to answer him. She hadn't talked to him about the letter whatsoever and she knew he was curious.

"I have my coffee, my paper and now your smiling face. How could I be anything but happy?" she replied with a loving smile.

He returned her smile, but he knew it was an act. She may be happy to see him, but he could tell that she was still hiding something and it was bothering her. But he didn't want to pressure her into talking about it just yet.

"What should we do today for fun?" he asked cheerfully.

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Are you trying to do an impression of Caroline?"

"Ha, ha," he replied with a sarcastic smile. "Can't I be in a good mood once in a while?"

"You? Absolutely not," she said and laughed.

He laughed and rolled his eyes mockingly. "But seriously, Vella. What do you want to do today? I feel like doing something, anything."

She smiled at him apologetically. "I have something to do today."

"What's that?"

"Something I have to do alone."

"Does this have something to do with the letter?"

"Yes."

He laid his hand on hers in support. "I understand. You do what you need to do."

She smiled lovingly, happy tears forming in her eyes. "I love you so much, Damon."

"I love you too," he replied, taking her hand into his, squeezing it gently. "Promise me you'll be careful."

"I promise," she said with a smile, squeezing his hand tightly. "I also promise we will talk about this after I get back."

"I'll keep you to that," he said with a smile.

The last thing that Vella wanted to do was talk to John again, but yet here she was driving to his house more than an hour away from Mystic Falls. She wasn't sure if the trip was bad judgement or a huge mistake on her part, but it was one she knew she had to go through with, whether she wanted to or not.

John was shocked to see Vella when he answered his door, but her visit wasn't unexpected. He'd been expecting her, sooner or later. Though he would rather it have been later.

"Are you going to invite me in?" she asked with a laugh.

John chuckled awkwardly, taking a step backwards. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea."

"If I wanted you dead, John, you'd already be dead."

He studied her for a moment, then waved his hand towards the inside of the house. "Come in."

Vella nodded her head and walked in the house. John directed her into the small livingroom where he sat down on a pale blue recliner, directing her to sit on the couch that sat directly across from the recliner, separated by a long wooden coffee table.

"Here it is," she said, throwing the envelope onto the coffee table.

He studied her shrewdly as he picked up the envelope. He was hoping her expression would reveal some sort of answer before he looked at the results, but she kept a stoic look. He removed the letter from the envelope, unfolding it slowly. He read it over, making sure he didn't miss any part of the results, before refolding the letter and inserting it back into the envelope.

"You wanted the truth," he said. "Are you satisfied?"

"I'm satisfied that I got the truth."

"But are you satisifed with the answer?"

She looked at him in disbelief, shaking her head.

"You wanted Victor to be your father so desperately, didn't you?"

Vella gazed at him with disgust. "No. I just didn't want _you_ to be my father."

"Well now you know that I am. Where does that leave us?"

Vella did her best to fight back tears, but she couldn't hold them all back. A lone silent tear fell from one of her eyes, which she wiped away quickly. She'd held herself together for an entire day and she didn't think she could do it any longer, especially while she was standing in the same room as John.

"I gotta go," she said frantically, heading for the front door.

John followed her to the front door. "Wait, Vella," he pleaded. "Can we talk for a minute?"

Vella turned around, her face soaked from tears. "I don't think we have anything to talk about."

"That's where you're wrong. We have everything to talk about."

"No, John, we don't. I have nothing to say to you."

"Then please, let me say what I want to say, then you can go."

She wanted to run, leave as quickly as she could, but she fought the urge. She knew she would regret it if she left without listening to what he had to say.

"You've got five minutes."

John gazed at her sadly and full of regret. "I loved your mother with all my heart, Vella. It was because of that reason I left her, let her marry your father. He wanted children, he wanted to settle down and I wasn't ready for that." He paused, trying to fight back tears of his own. "I doubt if I had known the truth it would have made much of a difference. But we'll never know now."

"I understand, John. You didn't want me and that's fine. Victor was a great father."

"I know. That was the other reason I never bothered to learn the truth. He loved you like you were his own. So even if you happened to be my daughter, why would I take you away from the only father you knew?" He looked away for a moment, wiping his eyes. "You were happy and so was your sister. That was all I ever wanted for you and Violet. It's the only unselfish thing I've ever done in my entire life."

Vella watched his face carefully, looking for any hint of insincerity, but she found none. As far as she could tell he was being completely truthful. It didn't make it easier, or more bearable, just real.

"I have to go now," she said completely flustered. "I, uh, uh...gotta go."

John reached out and grabbed Vella's hand. "Please, not yet."

Vella yanked her hand free, but stayed where she was. As much as she wanted to flee, she also wanted to stay. It was becoming increasingly difficult to separate her feelings right now.

"I'm sorry, Vella, about everything. Your parents, Violet and for everything I did to you. I know I can never make up for everything I've done, but I am sorry."

She shook her head in disbelief. "You killed me John, tortured me. I can't forgive that so easily."

"You're right, there's nothing I can do to take any of it back. But maybe one day I can make it up to you somehow."

She snorted. "I really doubt you could ever make it up to me, John."

"Maybe not, but I hope one day you'll let me try."

Vella turned away for a moment, before turning back. "Maybe," she said before leaving the house quickly.

Vella was able to keep her feelings in check while she drove home, but the tears began to flow as soon as she walked into the house. She threw herself down on the couch in the livingroom, buried her face into one of the throw pillows and cried. She was completely oblivious to everything that was going on around her. She didn't even notice when Damon arrived home.

Damon walked into the livingroom quietly, hoping Vella would hear him approaching, but she didn't. He sat on the edge of the couch and laid his hand on her arm supportively. "Vella," he called gently.

Vella lifted her head up from the pillow, sniffling. She looked into the worried eyes of her lover and felt herself relax slightly. She smiled, reaching out her arms to him. He had already reached out his, pulling her closely, holding on tight. She buried her head in his chest, but there were no more tears to be shed.

As Vella lifted her head from his chest, Damon reached out his hand, tenderly brushing stray hairs from her face. He stroked her cheek gently with his thumb, while cupping her face.

"Are you ready to talk about it?" he prodded gently.

She reached out, stroking his face tenderly, taking his hand in hers. "Yes...and no."

"You don't have to if you don't want to."

"No, I need to. I want to. I just..." She stopped for a moment, looking sadly. "I've been keeping something from you."

"I kinda figured that," he said smiling supportively.

"I didn't want to. I just had to."

He leaned closely, kissing her once gently on the cheek, then squeezed her hand supportively. "It's okay. I'm sure you had a good reason." He was a little upset, but he could tell whatever it was that had been bothering her must have been difficult to talk about or she would have spoken about it sooner. He wasn't quite as understanding as he pretended to be. But after all that had happened recently, he was too worried about her state of mind to let her know how he felt right now.

"The letter," she said nervously. "It was a DNA test." He looked at her confused. "When I read my father's journal, well, it just bothered me."

Suddenly he realized what she was trying to tell him. "You had to find out if John was your father." She nodded in agreement. "Is that what's been bothering you?"

"Yes, that's part of it."

"So, where did you go today?"

"I went to see John. I promised I would show him the results."

"And?" he asked curiously. "Did you get the result you wanted?"

"No," she said with a sigh. "John's my father."

"What?" exclaimed Elena from the livingroom doorway, her and Stefan having walked in only seconds before.

Vella turned in surprise, looking uncomfortable.

"This is a private conversation," Damon said irritably.

"We're sorry," Stefan said, putting an arm around Elena. "Let's go."

"No," she said pushing Stefan's arm away. "Why would you say something like that, Vella?"

Damon was about to say something, but Vella cut him off. "It's the truth, Elena. Do you think I would say something like that if it wasn't true?"

"How do you know?"

Vella scooped the envelope off the coffee table and handed it to Elena. She opened it, read it and handed it back.

"I don't understand this," Elena said shaking her head. "Why? How?"

"I just found out myself, Elena," Vella said glaring at her.

"Elena," Damon said, standing up behind Vella and wrapping his arms around her waist. "She just found out. She's not really in the mood to talk about this right now."

"So, we're cousins?" she asked with astonishment.

Vella sighed, shook her head and turned around, letting Damon wrap his arms protectively around her. He glared at Elena and Stefan, until Stefan led Elena away upstairs.

"I'm sorry," he said kissing her forehead.

Vella smiled up at him. "It's okay. She was bound to find out sooner or later."

"How are you doing with all of this?"

"I don't know, Damon. It's all just too much. I really don't want to think about anything right now."

"Let me take you upstairs," he said with a conspiratorial grin. "We can talk...or something else that might take your mind off of things for a while."

She smiled, rolling her eyes playfully. "Sure, let's go..._talk_."

Vella and Damon spent the rest of the day and night upstairs in bed. Only part of the time was spent talking. She didn't work through her feelings about John yet, but she knew it wasn't going to happen overnight, no matter how hard she wished it would.

"I promised Alaric I would go see him this morning," Damon said as he poured a cup of coffee. "You don't mind, do you?"

"No," she replied, setting the newspaper down on the table. "I'm not a delicate flower."

He walked over and kissed her cheek. "No, that's one thing you aren't," he said with a smile.

She returned his smile as he sat down. "I think I'm going to do some writing today."

"What kind of writing?" he asked curiously.

"Well, I have a lot of feelings to sort through about John. I was thinking I should write them down and see if I can deal with them that way."

"Have you been reading self help books?" he asked teasingly with a chuckle.

She stuck her tongue out and playfully slapped his hand. "Stop teasing me."

He grabbed her hand and yanked her out of her seat so she landed on his lap. He began to kiss her deeply and passionately, until Elena walked in the kitchen. He smiled at his wife, stroking her face gently. "We'll finish this later."

"That better be a promise, Mr. Salvatore," she said with a sly grin.

"Definitely," he answered with a wink. "I'll try not to be too long with Alaric."

"Just remember your promise," she said, kissing him goodbye. She watched him leave then released the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.

"I know you probably don't want to talk about it," Elena began. "But I was hoping you would."

Vella shook her head. "I'm not really ready to deal with it yet, Elena."

"Well, if you ever feel like talking..."

"Thanks, Elena," she said sincerely. "I appreciate the offer."

Elena nodded and poured herself a cup of coffee. She was about to sit down when there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it," she said and walked out of the kitchen.

Vella sat still listening to see who was at the door, but before Elena opened it, she felt something vibrate through her, something she had sensed before. She ran out of the kitchen, heading for the door, yelling, "Elena, don't open the door." But she'd already opened it.

"Elena, step back," Vella ordered. "Get away from the door." Elena stepped back from the open door in fear, looking at Vella strangely.

Vella approached the door hesitantly. She gazed upon the man standing in the doorway with fear and loathing. "Dominic. What the hell are you doing here?"

"May I come in?" he asked sweetly.

Vella turned to Elena. "Do not let this man in," she said, turning back to Dominic.

"You know I can just compel her," he said with a chuckle.

"You could try, but she's wearing vervain."

"Then I could always compel you instead," he said widening his eyes.

Vella glared at him. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"You haven't been answering my calls."

"I've had a lot going on."

"Just let me in so we can talk..._please_."

Vella stared at Dominic pensively. She was trying to remember details about him, trying to figure out what he might want or need. All she remembered was he'd never left Italy in his entire existence, which was a very long time. Whatever he was here for, it must be important.

"Come in," she said to Dominic, then turned to Elena. "Maybe you should go upstairs."

"I'm not leaving you alone," she replied bravely.

She laughed. "I'll be fine, Elena."

Elena glanced at Vella, then Dominic, then headed upstairs quickly.

Vella led Dominic into the livingroom, and offered him a drink, which he refused. She sat on a chair across from the couch, where he was sitting.

"What's this all about?"

"I was hoping your charming husband would be here as well."

"He's busy with a friend," she replied irritably. "Now get on with why you're here."

"You're still as feisty as ever I see."

"Will you just get on with it?"

He smiled and sighed. "You should be more grateful, Vella. I'm here to help you."

"Help me with what?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Dominic was about to say something when the front door blew open and in a flash Damon was standing in the livingroom.

"Damon!" Vella exclaimed. "How?"

"Elena called me," he said while glaring at Dominic.

"It's okay, Damon," she said, getting up and setting her hand on his shoulder. "He's come to help us with something."

Damon glared at him apprehensively, then sat on the chair Vella had been sitting in and eased her onto his lap.

"I promise I won't be long. This is the first time I've been out of Italy and I must say I'm not really comfortable with it."

"Why are you here then?" Damon asked angrily. "Why didn't you just call?"

"I've tried calling, but my calls weren't being answered. However, I think it's better that I came instead, this is too important to talk about over the phone."

Vella felt a chill run through her body making her shiver violently. Damon wrapped his arms around her tightly, looking concerned.

"She's okay," Dominic said to Damon. "She can sense the evil I need to discuss with you."

"If you don't mind, I would appreciate you getting on with it," Damon said glaring.

Dominic nodded in agreement. "I've heard through the grapevine that someone is very interested in making a visit to Mystic Falls. Someone you may have heard of, Damon."

"Who?"

"Does the name Klaus, ring any bells?"

Damon shook his head looking confused. He was about to ask who he was, when Stefan walked into the room with Elena.

"Do you mean Katherine's sire, Klaus?"

Damon narrowed his eyes at his brother in confusion. Stefan returned a smug, superior look.

"Yes," Dominic replied. "Katerina Petrova. The vampire who turned the two of you. He was her sire and he's an original vampire like myself."

"What does he want?" Vella asked.

"I'm not exactly sure, but I've heard a few different explanations," he replied uncertainly. "He's been searching for Katherine."

"But Katherine's dead," Damon said.

"He knows that now. He's intending on trying to raise her. But he's had news of a woman living here in town that looks exactly like her. He wants to know more about her."

Elena gasped, frightened. Stefan put his arms around her, pulling her close.

"And you're sure about this?" Damon asked. "Or is there more?"

"There's more," he said, glancing over at Vella. "He's interested in you, Vella, just as I was. Only his intentions aren't so...pure."

"What does he want with me?"

"He has a thing for witches. And like me, he hasn't heard of a vampire witch in a very long time."

"Why is that?" Vella asked curiously.

"I couldn't really tell you exactly why, only what I've heard," he replied honestly. "Usually a witches powers cancel out the vampire blood in their system, making them unable to sustain their life once they've died. But you're different Vella. You had shut out your powers, locked them away. I guess that's the key. But don't quote me on that."

"What does he want with her?" Damon asked fearfully.

"I couldn't tell you that, Damon, I'm sorry. All I can tell you is it's for nothing good I'm sure. He's one of the oldest living vamps and he's pure evil."

"What can we do about him?" Stefan asked with worry.

"Kill him. It's the only way."

"How do you kill an original?" Damon asked.

Dominic smiled, shaking his head. "I'm sorry but I can't tell you that. You'll have to figure that one out on your own."

"You mean you came all this way to warn us, but you won't tell us how to kill him?" Damon asked, getting steadily angrier.

"Do you think I'm suicidal?" he mocked. "All you need to do is some research and you will find the answer."

Vella laid a supportive hand on Damon's. "Do you have any idea where he is right now?"

"No," he replied shaking his head. "He's still in Europe for the moment, that's all I know for sure."

"Thank you, Dominic," Vella said standing up. "We really appreciate you coming all this way to warn us." She walked over to Dominic and shook his hand when he stood up.

"Take care of yourself, Vella," he said genuinely. "And all of you.' He began to walk towards the front door, but then he turned back. "Keep in touch, please."

"I will," she replied, walking him to the door and closing it behind him.

**A/N: So did you expect that John was her father? Trust me, up until this chapter I honestly hadn't decided, so if you knew, then you might be psychic LOL.**

**And so you know, I was always planning on Klaus showing up, even before they mentioned him in the show. But I am glad I waited, it was much easier designing his character after (hottie) Joseph Morgan.**

**I will try and update again in a few days, maybe next week, we'll see.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	91. Chapter 91

Chapter 91 ~ You Can Always Makes Things Worse

Vella was quiet the rest of the day after Dominic's departure. She didn't want to think about, let alone talk about, Klaus. This was her fault, or at least she was blaming herself for it. He was coming for her, that was all she could think about. Everyone would be in danger because of her. If she looked deep down, she would have realized he was coming for Elena too, but it was easier for her to blame herself.

Damon was even more worried about Vella than he had been. Not only her state of mind, but her safety, period. He swore he would always protect her, but he had no idea if he could protect her from one of the oldest vampires. He didn't even know how to kill one.

The next few days around the boarding house were tenative. Everyone was on edge, Vella, Damon, Stefan and Elena. None of them spoke much, instead they were searching through Vivian's journals and grimoires, trying to find any information on original vampires. But on the third day of searching and still coming up with nothing, Vella was finding it hard to concentrate.

"I need some air," Vella announced, throwing the book she was reading on the coffee table. "I'll be right back."

Vella walked out the front door, then ran as fast as she could towards the cemetery where her parent's were buried. When she reached the spot where they were buried, she collapsed onto the grass, sobbing. She wasn't sure why she had decided to come here, but being here helped ease her feelings of fear and panic, like everything was going to be okay.

Some time later, she opened her eyes, as if coming out of a trance. Standing before her was the ghostly image of her mother, VIvian. She smiled up at her, a lone silent tear rolling down her face.

"Hello, my darling Vella."

"Mom!"

"I can't stay long," she said smiling tenderly at her daughter. "But I know evil is on it's way and you're going to need help."

"But Mom..."

"No, honey, I don't have time for questions. Please just listen."

"But I need answers."

"Then just listen."

"Okay," Vella replied reluctantly.

"Yes, we knew John was your father all along. He didn't want to be a father and your father did. Victor knew he couldn't father children of his own, but he wanted children."

"But why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you didn't need to know. Your father loved you. He was a great father to you. Why would you want to know the truth?"

"Because..." she began, but had no answer.

"Don't get me wrong, Vella. I loved John at one time, but he wasn't father material. It was better this way."

"Maybe that's true, but maybe if he had known sooner..."

"He might not have killed you, is that what you were going to ask?" Vella nodded. "I think he would have done it all the same, at least at first. He thought he was saving you." Vella snorted. "Things are different now. He realizes his mistakes. It may take a long time for him to come around, but he will. And you will need his help."

"Why would I need his help?"

"Because he knows how to kill an original vampire, Vella. His family has known that secret for a long time."

"Why can't you just tell me?"

"Because I don't know, sweetie. If I knew the answer I would just tell you."

"You mean our blood line has lots of knowledge about so many things but not this?"

"No, honey, but I wish we did.

"So my only hope is that John will help?"

"He's your father, Vella. He will help if you ask him."

"I don't think I can."

"But you must," she said desperately. "I must go now. Please, just do as I ask."

Vella watched as her mother began to fade, crying out one last thing before she disappeared. "I love you, mom."

She awoke with a start, her eyes wide open. She realized she had fallen asleep in the grass in front of her mother's grave. She looked around awkwardly, but no one was around. She felt disconcerted, not sure what to do. She didn't really want to go home, not now, but she wasn't sure where she wanted to go. She just wanted to forget, forget everything that had happened in the past few days, even the past few weeks. She just didn't know how. She didn't want to be depressed, there was no way she could allow herself to become so despondant again, but she just wanted to forget, if only for a short time. Suddenly it came to her. She knew a place she could go for some temporary relief, The Grill.

There weren't many people at The Grill when Vella arrived. She was the only one sitting at the bar drinking, while a few people were sitting at booths, eating, drinking and talking. She tuned it all out, concentrating only on the drink in her hand, which she only let go of when the bartender was filling it.

Matt greeted her when he came in for work, but didn't stay to chat. She was glad, she didn't feel like chatting. He seemed to be watching her though, which made her feel like she was being babysat, but she didn't say anything. She figured as long as she was calm and didn't do anything she shouldn't, there would be nothing to worry about.

She'd been there almost two hours when she was finally loose enough to do something other than sit at the bar and drink. She began to shoot pool with some guy, who got angry when he was beaten every game. She thought it was pretty funny, considering she wasn't the best pool player. A few more people challenged her before no one wanted to play with her any longer. That was until Tyler came in.

Vella played pool with Tyler for quite a while, all the while still drinking. After a few games, she became quite tipsy and wasn't able to stand upright without swaying. She never stumbled though, always managing to stay standing, even if she was shaky. She imagined that other people must have thought it was unusual, the amount of alcohol she had consumed should've had her unconcious and possibly in the hospital for alcohol poisoning, but she didn't have to worry about that. She might end up passing out, but it wasn't going to kill her.

Matt had become concerned with Vella's state of intoxication. He didn't have Damon's phone number, so he called Stefan instead, he was afraid to get in the middle after the last time she had freaked out in the bar. He knew what she could do to him.

Stefan showed up a short time later. He saw Vella playing pool with Tyler, and approached her slowly, he didn't want her to become agitated, but she didn't seem to notice, either that or she didn't care.

"Vella," Stefan called. "Have you been here all day?"

Vella eyed Stefan warily. She was too drunk to realize the exact implications of his question, but she knew he had meant something by the question, she just wasn't sure. "No. Just part of the day," she replied with a slur.

"Damon's been worried about you. I think you need to come home."

She looked at him, taking a step forward and nearly fell onto him. He caught her before she fell, holding her upright. "Sorry, Stefan, I slipped."

"It's okay. Let me take you home."

She nodded in agreement, allowing him to steer her outside to his car. It took a lot of help from Stefan for her to get in the car, but she finally managed. She laid her head back in the seat with her eyes closed and the window down, letting the cold night air blow over her face. She was so drunk she didn't even really know from one moment to the next where she was or how she got there. But she'd gotten her wish, she'd forgotten about all of her problems, for a short time.

Stefan helped her into the house, with very little help from Vella, she was leaning heavily against him. The cold air hadn't helped to sober her up much. He led her into the livingroom, turning on the lights, wondering where his brother was.

Vella managed to make it to the couch with Stefan's help. As he eased her onto the couch, she fell backwards, pulling him on top of her. In an instant, their lips were locked together, kissing passionately. But Vella was still quite drunk and didn't realize what she was doing.

They only kissed for a minute or two before Damon walked into the house. Stefan was so distracted, he didn't hear his brother when he came in. But he felt it when Damon pulled him off of his wife and threw him across the room, hitting the far wall and falling to the floor.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Stefan?" Damon yelled angrily, his fangs bared, as he crossed the room. When he reached his brother, he kicked him a few times in the stomach. "You ever touch her again I swear I will kill you!"

"I'm sorry," Stefan mumbled as he held his stomach in pain.

Damon wanted to hurt him even more, but he was afraid what might happen if he didn't walk away now. He glared at his brother, retracting his fangs, and walked back over to his wife.

Vella was still on the couch, completely drunk and didn't really know what was going on. Damon picked her up and carried her up to their bedroom, got her undressed and into bed. She was pretty much alseep by the time her head hit the pillow. He climbed into bed beside her, even though he wasn't tired, he was too furious to sleep, but he didn't trust himself. He knew if he didn't, he would go back downstairs and pummel his brother some more. Eventually he fell asleep, but it was a very restless sleep.

Vella woke up the next morning near noon with a terrible headache. She rolled over and found Damon still sleeping beside her. Since she couldn't remember much of what happened the day before, she wasn't sure if she should wake him or wait until he woke up. She decided on the latter, she would let him wake up on his own.

She made it out of bed and into the shower, even though her head felt like it was splitting open. The shower did make her feel more alert, but it did nothing for the headache. She headed back into the bedroom after her shower to get dressed and found Damon sitting up in bed.

"Good morning, Damon," she said with a smile.

Damon stared at her, but didn't say anything. Instead he got up, grabbed some clothes and headed to the bathroom.

Vella watched him go, but decided not to say anything to him. She knew he would be angry with her for disappearing the day before and she was positive he would tell her off, but she wasn't in a hurry for that. She needed to do something about her headache.

She went into the kitchen, made some coffee and poured herself some blood from the fridge. After drinking it she felt her headache get better, not go away completely, but better. And after a cup of coffee she felt almost normal again, except for a gentle pounding in her temples.

She read the newspaper as usual, waiting for Damon, who eventually came into the kitchen, poured himself a coffee and sat at the table, but he seemed to be ignoring her. She waited for a few minutes to see if he would talk, but after those few awkward minutes passed, she couldn't take the silence any longer.

"Are you that angry with me, Damon?" she asked, folding up the newspaper.

He glared at her incredulously. "I can't believe you're even asking me that."

"You're that angry that I went out and drank all day? That seems a little hypocritical to me."

He shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Do you remember what happened last night?"

"I don't remember last night at all. The last thing I remember was drinking and hustling some pool. After that it's blank." She stopped to watch the expression on his face. It seemed he was in pain but he was trying to hide it. "What did I do, Damon? Why won't you say anything?"

He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I'll deal with it."

"No, Damon. Tell me what happened."

Damon got up from the table and walked into the livingroom, with Vella right behind him. He walked past the alcohol, feeling the urge to drink, but he kept walking. He was heading out of the livingroom when Vella grabbed him roughly by the shoulder, making him turn around.

"What the hell is wrong, Damon? Why won't you talk to me?"

He swallowed hard, his hands balled into fists. "I can't talk about it, now leave it alone," he replied angrily.

"No. I'm not letting this become an issue between us. Especially since I have no clue what's going on."

"Fine," he replied, looking sadly. "When I came home last night, I found my brother on top of you on the couch. You were kissing." Vella felt her heart sink. "Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't stopped it then."

Vella looked at him with sorrow, tears forming in her eyes. "I'm really sorry, Damon. I never would have done that if I hadn't been so drunk."

Both of them turned around when they heard a sound. They saw Stefan and Elena standing there. Elena turned around quickly, running out the door. Stefan turned to follow her but Vella ran up to him knocking him against the wall.

"How dare you take advantage of me like that!" she yelled while grabbing him by the collar. "You better make this right with her, Stefan, or I'm going to make you suffer." She pushed Stefan aside, then kicked him once. "And you better hope Damon forgives you. I would hate to be on his bad side for too long."

Stefan stumbled to his feet and ran out the door after Elena. Vella watched him leave, then released the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. She put her hands to her head, it was pounding once again. She turned and was confused by Damon's mixed expressions of anger, sadness and concern. She walked up to him, holding his head in her hands, making him look into her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Damon. I have no feelings for your brother. I love you."

Damon reached up, taking her hands off of his face and holding onto them tightly. "I know you don't, but he feels something for you."

"I don't care what he feels, Damon. And I don't care about the bond we have. I love you and only you. You believe me, don't you?"

He smiled tenderly and stroked her face. "Of course I believe you. I just worry about the bond you have with Stefan."

"Well don't," she said angrily. "I feel nothing but contempt for him right now."

"But that will change."

"Probably, but I don't care right now. All I care about is you."

"I'm fine," he lied.

"Don't lie to me, Damon Salvatore!"

He smirked, pulled her close and kissed her slowly. "I'm hurt, but I'll get over it."

"You shouldn't have to, Damon. It never should've happened," she said stroking his face tenderly. "I promise I'm not going to get drunk without you around again."

He laughed, kissing her once. "I think that's a great idea."

She smiled, squeezing him tightly. "How did I ever find such a wonderful man?"

"Not sure," he joked. "But you're ruining my rep."

She smiled, slapping him playfully, then looked at him seriously. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes," he said lightly stroking her hair.

"Then we have something else to discuss," she said regretfully.

"Do I really want to know?" he asked with trepidation.

She smiled tenatively. "When I left here yesterday, I went to my parent's graves. My mother appeared to me."

"What did she have to say?"

"She wanted to help me with our original vampire problem."

"Did she tell you how to kill one?"

"No," she replied shaking her head. "But she did tell me who does know."

"Who?"

Vella averted her eyes, looking uncomfortable. "John."

Damon lifted her chin, looking into her eyes lovingly. "You don't have to deal with him if you don't want to."

"Yes, I do. We need this information, Damon."

"But I can talk to him for you."

She laughed sarcastically. "Yeah, right. And I'm sure he's gonna want to talk to you."

"I'll make him tell me if I have to."

She smiled up at Damon, taking his head in her hands. "I love you for this, Damon, but it's not going to work. If, and I mean a big if, if he wants to help us, he's only going to do it for me."

He returned her smile and stroked her hair. "If anyone can get him to come around it's you."

She smirked. "You have way too much faith in me."

"No, not faith," he said with a loving smile "You have a way with people. If anyone can get John to help us, it's you."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around him, whispering in his ear, "Can I have my way with you?"

He smiled brightly, whispering in her ear, "Definitely."

**A/N: Not the best time for Stefan to be pulling something like that, huh? lol. It's kinda like role reversal, isn't it? Only one good brother at a time lol. And she has to deal with John now too. Told you it would get more interesting if you were patient lol.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	92. Chapter 92

Chapter 92 ~ The Gilbert Journals

The next few days were rough around the Salvatore boarding house. Since they all knew John had answers, they had quit searching for their own answers, leaving it up to Vella to talk to John. But Vella couldn't face him. She knew she had to, but she almost felt that facing an original vampire might be easier. She had even considered asking Elena or Jeremy to talk to him, since after all he was their uncle, but she wasn't on speaking terms with Elena and she couldn't face Jeremy. So it was left up to her.

Damon was trying to be understanding, but his fear for her safety was making him a bit crazy. He tried everything he could to coax her into talking to John, but nothing had worked. He was seriously considering taking her there against her will, if she didn't come around. He was trying to have faith in her, knowing she always did the right thing in the end, no matter how difficult it was for her, but he was having doubts this time. Very serious doubts.

Stefan wasn't around much, which was fine by Damon and Vella. Neither of them wanted to see or talk to him, even though they knew they should. Eventually Klaus would show up and they would all need to work together, but for the meantime, they kept their distance. He was busy trying to make up with Elena and that's what everyone wanted, even Damon, though he was torn. He had loved Elena once, almost as much as he loves Vella, and he hated to see her being treated so badly. He kept those thoughts to himself though, knowing Vella would probably be upset by them. Even though he had continuously assured her that their relationship was fine, she was still having a tough time believing him. While he couldn't get the image of his brother with his wife out of his head, he still loved her now as much as always. He never mentioned the fact he was still bothered, he didn't want her to worry needlessly. He knew he would get over it eventually, he just wished it would be soon, before it began to interfere with their relationship.

Vella was cleaning up the bedroom one afternoon, while Damon was out, when she received a very cryptic phone call. She didn't know who it was, but they said that Klaus was coming for her very soon. She knew time was running out and she needed to finally face her father. She hastily scribbled a note for Damon and left to go to John's.

After an hour of driving, she finally pulled up to John's house, parking on the side of the road. She sat there for a minute trying to get up the courage, but the longer she sat, the worse she felt. She finally swallowed her pride and went to the door, knocking on it loudly, before she chickened out.

It took a minute, but John finally answered the door with a look of shock on his face. "This is a surprise," he said.

"Can I come in?" she asked breathlessly.

"You know I don't have to invite you in again."

"I know. But if you don't want me here I will go."

He studied her for a few moments, trying to sense what she might want. "Come in, please."

Vella walked in, passing John, walking into his livingroom, sitting down on the couch. She waited until John sat down on the chair opposite from her, before saying anything else.

"I wasn't sure I should come," she stammered. "But I need help and you're the only one I can ask."

"What kind of help?" he asked, sounding concerned.

She didn't want to just blurt it out, but she couldn't think of an easy way to say it. "I need to know how to kill an original vampire."

John looked at her with shock. "Why would you need to know that?"

"Do you know how or not?" she asked irritably.

"Vella, I have the answer, but I need to know why."

"You don't need to know anything," she replied defensively.

"Then I'm afraid I can't give you the answer."

"Fine!" she said standing up. "Then I'm outta here." She walked past John, uttering, "I knew my mother was wrong," as she walked into the hallway.

John followed after her, stopping her before she opened the door. "What did you say about your mother?"

She turned, glaring at him angrily. "She told me you would help me if I asked, but I guess she was wrong."

"What do you mean she told you?"

Vella sighed, shaking her head. "She still visits me sometimes, John."

"Oh."

"Yeah, well, I'm sorry to have bothered you," she said turning to open the door.

John put his hand on her shoulder, begging her to stay. She turned, looking into his eyes and saw concern, genuine concern. She wanted to leave but she couldn't make herself do it. She allowed him to steer her back into the livingroom, while he disappeared into the kitchen for a moment.

"Please tell me why you need to know such information?" John asked handing her a cup of coffee.

She took a sip of coffee then placed it down on the coffee table. "Why can't you just tell me without the interrogation?"

He sighed. "You can't just come and ask me for information like that and expect me to just hand it over to you. Original vampires are nothing to mess with."

"Tell me about it," she mumbled sarcastically.

"What is it then? Why would you need to know?" he asked with concern.

"I need to know how to defend myself."

"Defend yourself against an original?"

"Yes."

"What have you gotten yourself into, Vella?"

She shook her head, suddenly looking exhausted. "There's an original vampire who is coming after me and Elena."

"Why?"

"He's interested in me, since I'm a vampire and a witch. And he's interested in Elena, because she looked like Katherine, the one who turned the Salvatores."

"Dear God," he said exasperatedly. "You're talking about Klaus, aren't you?"

"You know who Klaus is?"

He laughed sardonically. "I only know of him. Most people who meet him don't live to tell."

"Thanks for making me feel better," Vella said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, Vella. I didn't mean to..." He swallowed hard, before speaking again. "I'll give you the info, but you have to promise me something first."

She really didn't want to know what his terms were going to be, but she needed this information badly. Against her better judgement, she asked what kind of promise she had to make.

"I only want you to promise to be careful and not to take any dangerous risks," he replied with worry.

She swallowed hard, fighting back tears. "Okay."

John left the room, returning with a few old books. "These are some of the Gilbert journals," he said handing them to her. "The answers are in there."

"Thank you, John," she replied, gathering up the books. "I appreciate your help."

He walked her to the door, but before she left, he begged her once again to be careful. She agreed, then headed on her way home.

Vella drove home as quick as she could. She was so desperate for answers she almost pulled over to the side of the road to begin reading the journals. She didn't give in though, instead she drove home. Her encounter with John had taken a lot of strength and willpower and she felt mentally exhausted. She knew of only one thing to make her feel better, and she wasn't actually in the mood to hunt her food down right now.

When she walked into the livingroom, she had every intention of dropping the journals and heading to the kitchen for some blood, but someone had been waiting for her to return.

"Hello, Elena."

Elena walked out from a dark corner, her expression unreadable. "I'm glad you're back. We need to talk."

"Can this wait a minute?" Vella asked, rubbing her temple. "I need to eat."

"I'd rather it not. I'm not sure when someone else will come home."

She sighed, set the journals down on the coffee table and sat down on the couch.

Elena sat down beside her, leaving a space between them. "I just wanted to let you know that I don't blame you for what happened the other night."

"You're letting me off the hook?" she asked with surprise.

"I don't know if it's so much letting you off the hook, more like, I don't blame you."

"Well you should. I'm as much to blame as Stefan."

"But you were drunk and he took advantage of that."

"That might be, but if I hadn't been drunk it never would have happened. So either way we're both to blame."

Elena studied her for a moment, trying to see if she was just taking blame so she would forgive Stefan, but she couldn't tell what her motives might be.

"So, how are things between the two of you then?" Vella inquired.

Elena shrugged. "Okay, I guess."

"I'll be right back," Vella said, getting up from the couch. Elena nodded in agreement, so she walked into the kitchen and poured some blood from a blood bag into a glass, then walked back into the livingroom and sat down. She took a sip, looking apologetic.

Elena smiled, then picked up one of the journals off the coffee table. "Are these the Gilbert journals?" Vella nodded. "You went to see Uncle John then?"

"Yup."

"How did that go?"

Vella took a long sip from her glass. "It was okay."

"You know, this whole situation is weird."

"Tell me about it," she replied with a chuckle.

"I'm glad though, Vella. I thought Jeremy and Jenna were my only family, but now I have you."

"And John."

Elena rolled her eyes and laughed. "Yeah, John."

"I am too, Elena. I didn't think I had any family left."

"So, you're ready to accept John as your father?"

"Not exactly. He does have a lot to make up for. But maybe in time..."

"Yeah..."

"Do you want to help me look through these?" she asked, picking up a journal.

"Sure. I don't have anyone to get back to right now."

Vella smiled. "Thanks."

Elena and Vella began reading through the journals. They hadn't been reading long when Damon and Stefan arrived home. Things seemed a little tense between the brothers still, but not as palpable as things had been. Both ladies hoped this would change very soon, they all needed to get along before Klaus showed up in town.

With two more sets of eyes reading the journals, it was quicker to find an answer to their original problem, at least that's what they thought. They spent the rest of the day reading with no more answers then they had started with. Vella was becoming increasingly irritated and wondered if John was jerking her around. She hoped that wasn't the case because she wasn't in the mood for that kind of thing and she was afraid what she might do if she had the chance.

After a few hours, Vella was sick of reading. It was getting late so she decided to take Elena out to The Grill to get something to eat, leaving the brothers to either read, or talk, she didn't really care which, so long as they got something accomplished.

The Grill was pretty busy when they arrived, but they managed to score a booth slightly away from most of the noise. Elena ordered food, while Vella just ordered a drink, then nibbled on Elena's french fries. Matt stopped to talk for a few minutes on his break, which Vella was happy for. It broke up the monotony of the conversation with Elena.

When Elena was finished eating, they were going to leave, but Vella suddenly felt strange. She couldn't put a finger on the feeling, but she knew she had felt it before, she just couldn't remember when.

Vella turned to Elena with panic on her face. "You're wearing your necklace, right?"

"Of course," Elena replied, looking fearful. "Why?"

"I don't know, I just have this strange feeling," she answered, scanning the room quickly. "Whatever you do, don't leave this booth."

"Where are you going?"

"Nowhere...yet."

"Then why?"

Vella was about to answer when a man suddenly sat beside her in the booth. She shifted away from him, looking at Elena and mouthed, "Don't move." Elena looked like she was about to bolt, but she did as Vella asked.

"You!" Vella said as she stared at the man. She'd met him before. The night of the big battle, the one John had precipitated. He had compelled her and stabbed her through the stomach with a tree branch.

The man laughed an evil sort of laugh. "I told you we would meet again."

"What do you want?" she demanded.

"I don't want anything from you."

"Then why are you here?"

"I came to deliver a message for my brother."

"And who is your brother?"

He grinned evilly. "Klaus."

Vella felt the color drain from her face, her heart beginning to beat wildly. "Why didn't he come deliver it himself?"

"He's busy. But he wanted you to know he's very interested in you and your friend here," he said glancing at Elena.

"You can tell him to go to hell!" Elena said angrily.

"Elena!" Vella chastised.

"No, that's quite all right," the man said amused. "Thw two of you won't be so tough when you finally meet him."

Vella was about to stand up when the man grabbed a hold of her thigh under the table. "You're not going anywhere," he said staring into her eyes. Suddenly she felt herself sit back down, against her will.

"Now stay still or I may have to do something a little more drastic."

Elena stared at Vella with fear. "Vella? What's going on?"

"She isn't allowed to answer," the man said with amusement. "She's doing what I've told her to do."

"Well you can't do that with me!" she replied, beginning to stand up.

"Sit! Or else I will make your friend here hurt someone."

Elena stared wide eyed at the man, sitting down obediently.

"That's much better. Now we can have a civil conversation."

Elena wanted to do or say something, but she was more frightened than she had ever been. She didn't even dare try to use her phone, in case the man realized what she was doing. Even though there were many people there, she felt alone and scared, but she was more afraid for Vella. She was sitting beside the man staring blankly with no emotion on her face. She wasn't moving, or talking, just sitting as she was told. Elena knew what being compelled felt like, she felt bad for Vella, but also glad it wasn't her.

"I've come here to warn the two of you," he said looking seriously. "If you just give Klaus what he wants, he'll leave. But if you try to defy him, or hide, he will hurt everyone you care about."

"And what does Klaus want?"

"I've already told you, Elena," he replied with a grin. "He wants you and Vella."

"What does he want with us?"

"You know what he wants with you. You look like Katherine. He wants to play with you just as he played with her."

"What does he want with Vella?"

"Now that I can't tell you, because I don't know exactly. I'm guessing as a trophy or plaything. You shouldn't worry about her though, you should be worrying about yourself."

Elena swallowed hard, afraid to ask anything else. She hoped the man would just leave if she sat silently.

"I must be going now. But before I do, I should introduce myself. My name is Elijah." Elena glared at him. "Now, Vella," he said looking into her eyes. "You're going to sit here for the next five minutes and not say or do anything." He glanced at Elena. "It was nice to meet you, Elena," he said, leaving quickly.

Elena picked up her phone, almost dropping it in her panic. She called Stefan, then sat restlessly waiting for him. Once the five minutes passed, Vella was able to move again. She didn't speak to Elena, she sat still with a stoic look on her face, thinking. She was feeling weak, vulnerable and disconcerted and she didn't like it.

Stefan showed up only a few minutes later, with Damon. They sat in the booth trying to get answers, but Vella wouldn't say anything. Elena did all of the talking. Damon could tell Vella was upset, so he took her home, leaving his brother to deal with Elena.

"Do you want to talk about this?" Damon asked concerned.

Vella was sitting on the couch beside him, holding his hand. "No, not really."

"But what happened?"

"Elena told you."

"She told me what was said, not what happened to you."

"He compelled me. End of story."

"Vella..."

"No, that's it Damon. He compelled me and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it."

"I'm sorry," he said, pulling her into his arms. He held her tight, rubbing her back lightly, stroking her hair. He wasn't sure it would comfort her much, but he didn't know what else to do.

After a short time, she pulled away looking upset. "I hated it, Damon. Not being able to fight back. My magic was useless to me. The only thing that kept Elena free was the vervain, which I can't touch." Damon smiled supportively. "If only there was a way to become immune to vervain."

Damon was taken aback by her idea. So shocked he looked at her like she was crazy. "I don't think that's possible, Vella."

"Maybe not, but it's something to think about."

"Let's go upstairs," he suggested. "I think you need to lay down."

Vella didnt think she needed to lay down, but it didn't sound like a bad idea. She wasn't in the mood to do anything else, so maybe going to bed would be the answer. She could always deal with everything in the morning.

The next morning, Vella woke up before the sun had risen. She was wide awake, so she got out of bed, being careful not to wake Damon. She went downstairs, started a pot of coffee brewing, then sat on the couch with one of the Gilbert journals.

She did her best to try and keep reading for more than a few minutes, but her mind kept wandering elsewhere, to the problem from the night before. How could she stop herself from being compelled by an original vampire. It had consumed her thoughts since the evening before, but she was unsure of a solution.

Vella set the journal down and went to get herself a cup of coffee. She drank a few sips, before setting it down, staring at the journals spread out on the table. Then she got an idea. She gathered up her mother's old journals and grimoires, grabbed a travel mug full of coffee, scribbled a note for Damon and left.

She hopped in her car and drove out to her parent's old cabin. Sitting on the couch, she spread out the journals, the grimoires and took out a notepad and pen, which she also brought with her, and began to do some hardcore studying. The sun was well overhead before she stopped to have a break, rubbing her eyes. She looked at her watch, saw it was almost noon, then began to wonder where Damon was. As if almost on cue, Damon walked in.

"I missed you this morning," he said, sitting down on the couch, kissing her lips gently. "Why did you come out here?"

"Witch business," she replied with a smile.

He looked at her smiling strangely. "What kind of witch business?"

She smiled in a teasing way, before looking serious. "I can't talk about it. Not because I don't want to, but because it's safer if the only person who knows is me."

He smiled again, in a teasing way. "Don't you trust me?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Of course I do. It's not you I'm worried about."

"Are you going to be here all day?" he asked, changing the subject.

"If that's okay with you."

"Do you need my permission?" he teased.

She rolled her eyes and laughed. "Not in the slightest."

He leaned in, kissing her slowly, cupping a breast with his hand. She responded by breathing quicker, kissing more fervently. He pushed her back on the couch, kissing and nibbling on her neck. She began moaning quietly in pleasure, enjoying the fiery sensations coursing over her skin, through her body. When she couldn't take anymore, she pushed him against the couch, pulled her pants off, while he pulled his off, then straddled him, letting him enter her deeply. It was over quickly, but both were more than satisfied with their unplanned love making.

"I guess you really did miss me this morning, didn't you?" she teased as she finished getting dressed.

He smiled, pulling her into a tight embrace, kissing her slowly and deeply. "Very much."

"What are your plans for today?"

"I'm gonna go back home and search through the Gilbert journals some more."

She smiled gratefully. "I hope you have better luck today."

"Are you staying here?"

"Yes. I promise to be home before it gets dark."

"As long as it's a promise," he replied, giving her one last kiss before leaving.

Vella watched him go, then went back to reading, studying and writing. She didn't think she would have a solution to her problem right away, but she sincerely hoped it wouldn't take too long, she needed it sooner, rather than later.

The sun was going down before Vella left the cabin. She placed a protection spell on it before leaving, and left all of her stuff there. There was no way anyone, human or not, could get into that cabin now.

The drive home was quick, she was in a hurry to get home to relax and spend some time with Damon. She smiled as she thought about their time in the cabin earlier in the day. As she walked into the boarding house, she was nearly assaulted by Damon, who picked her up and swung her around, startling her. She smiled, shaking her head confused.

"We found it!" he yelled, placing her back down on the ground.

"You mean you know how to kill an original?" she asked with a hopeful smile.

"Yup."

Vella smiled brightly, hugging Damon. At least that's one thing off my mind, she thought.

**A/N: So, how did you enjoy this chapter? Is it getting suspenseful yet? Wait until you see what I have in store later lol.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	93. Chapter 93

Chapter 93 ~ A New Weapon

Vella spent the next few days at the cabin, reasearching and experimenting. She had even bought her own book to record her spells in. She'd finally decided it was about time she did things the proper way. She never told anyone what she was up to, only that she was working on something, but somehow, Damon trusted her. He knew whatever she was doing was important enough to let her do it with minimal interruptions.

There were many times when she became frustrated, wanted to give up, but it was too important, too many lives were at stake. She did wish many times that she had paid more attention to the things her mother had done, wanted to teach her, but the past was the past and her regrets weren't going to help get her anywhere.

It had been almost a week of researching in the cabin, when there was a knock at the door. She hadn't been expecting anyone, Damon knew not to bother her until late in the afternoon. When she opened the door, she was more than shocked to see who was standing before her.

"Can I come in?" John asked.

Vella sighed, opened the door and stepped aside so he could walk in. She showed him into the livingroom, closing up the books that were open.

"What are you doing here?" John asked glancing around the room.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," she replied sitting on the couch.

"Actually, I was worried about you."

"Really? You were worried about me?"

"Is it really that hard to believe that I could care about you?"

"Maybe not, but I think there's more to this visit than you checking up on me...which you could have done over the phone."

"That's true," he said, swallowing hard. "I've come to apologize."

"What about now, John?" she asked shortly.

"Elijah." Vella's eyes opened widely in shock as he spoke the name. "You know it's my fault he ever met you or Elena. Because of me and my stupid revenge plot."

"As much as I would love to be angry about that, right now I have work to do John. Dwelling on the mistakes of the past are not going to help right now."

He smiled at her, looking nostalgic. "You're so much like your mother."

"John..."

"I'm sorry. But what I wanted to know is if you found the answer you were looking for in the journals?"

"We did, but, why couldn't you just tell us?"

He smiled knowingly. "Have you tried to say it out loud?"

"No," she replied looking at him strangely.

"Well you won't be able to. There's a very ancient witches curse placed upon the knowledge. Once you know it, you can't speak it aloud, but you can write it down."

She shook her head. "Why didn't you just write it down for me? Why give us the journals?"

He smiled. "Honestly, I wanted you to learn more about your heritage."

She looked away, suddenly uncomfortable. "I have work to do, John."

John walked over to the couch and sat down beside her. "I know this is difficult for you, but I'm trying. I'm trying my best to make it up to you."

She turned, looking into his eyes. She could tell he was being sincere, but she didn't want to deal with this right now. "I don't have time for this right now, John. I'm working on something that's very important."

"I understand," he said standing up. "If you need to talk, I'm going to be in town for a few days."

"Okay," she said, turning her attention back to her books. But as John was about to walk out, she yelled, "Wait!"

John stopped and turned around. "What?"

"How did you know about Elijah?"

He averted his eyes suddenly looking ashamed. "He paid me a visit yesterday. So I put two and two together and realized what he was after."

"Did you know his brother is Klaus?"

"What?" he exclaimed with surprise. "Is that what he told you?" Vella nodded. "I'm so sorry, Vella. This is all my fault."

"This isn't the time for regrets, John," she interrupted. "Just do me a favor." He nodded in agreement. "Stay out of this and stay safe. I have enough to worry about without worrying about you too."

John nodded again, then left the cabin, leaving Vella to think about everything. She wanted to blame John for everything, it would be so much easier to just hate him, but deep down inside she knew she couldn't do that. She couldn't give in to her anger and hatred, it would only lead her down the wrong path. She still had moments where she lost control of herself, her instincts taking over, but she'd been working very hard to keep herself from losing complete control, which some days she felt she was closer to than others, today, being one of those days.

Vella tried hard to concentrate after John left, but she found it nearly impossible. So many emotions were running through her mind since his visit, so she decided to give up early and spend some time with Damon. It wasn't as late in the afternoon as it usually was when she gave up for the day, but it was getting there. She wasn't sure how much longer she would have with him once Klaus came for her. She wanted to spend as much time with him as she could.

Before she left, she called Damon, but he didn't answer. She swung by the house, and he wasn't there, no one was. She began to worry, and was thinking of calling Stefan, but she couldn't do that, not after all that had happened. Instead she thought she would do the next best thing, go to The Grill and see if anyone had seen him.

The Grill was pretty quiet so early in the day. She noticed that Jenna was sitting in one of the booths. She hadn't really spoken to her much since the issue with Alaric, so Vella decided to sit inconspicuously at the bar and have a drink, but she kept her promise to Damon and only ordered a cola. She was drinking her cola slowly, thinking. She didn't even notice when Jenna came and sat beside her, until she poked her on the shoulder.

"Hi, Jenna," Vella greeted her awkwardly.

"You don't mind if we talk for a few, do you?"

"Of course not," she replied, eyeing her warily.

"I've had a lot of time to think about what happened with you and Alaric," she began to explain. "I've forgiven him, so there's no reason why I shouldn't forgive you."

Vella smiled in disbelief. "This sorta thing seems to be getting around today," she muttered under her breath.

Jenna looked at her strangely,"Huh?"

"Oh, nothing," she replied.

"Okay. That being said...I was hoping you would still want to help out with the wedding."

"Really?" she asked in surprise. "I thought you would have replaced me by now."

Jenna smiled. "I was going to, but I pushed the date of the wedding back a few more weeks. I needed some time to think."

"I really am sorry, Jenna. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you."

"I know, I'm past it. And with everything that's going on now...well, life is too short to hold grudges."

Vella nodded knowingly. There was a time she thought she would live for an eternity, just as a vampire's life should be, but with Klaus coming after her, she wasn't able to be optimistic any longer.

"I know it's a lot to ask, but the wedding is in a couple of weeks and I still need a lot of help."

"Of course I'll help," she replied.

"Can you stop by the day after tomorrow?"

"Definitely."

"Okay, great. I have to go now. See you soon."

Vella smiled and waved as she left, then went back to the thoughts running through her head. She needed a way to protect everyone she cares about, but her research hadn't gotten her very far. She had to believe she would find a solution in time because that was all she had at the moment, hope.

She realized she had been sucking in the straw of her drink, that was, and had been, empty. A few people were staring at her strangely, but she just smiled and turned to ignore them. She ordered another cola and some fries, then tried calling Damon again. He didn't answer, so she sent him a text. She was really beginning to worry now.

She calmed her inner turmoil by eating. She never used to feel the need to eat human food, but lately it had been helping her control herself. What she really wanted was some alcohol, but she didn't want to break her promise to Damon. It was difficult, but not impossible. It was still much easier than resisting blood.

Matt and Caroline stopped to sit with her for a short time. She had finished eating her fries by then, so she ordered a big plate of nachos with extra cheese. While she had ordered the food for herself, she shared with the two of them, not wanting to be rude. The two didn't sit with her for too long, they wanted to spend some time alone together, but they missed talking to Vella, since it had been a long time since she had seemed like her old self to them.

After they left, she took out her phone and texted Damon again. She also texted Stefan and Elena, in hopes one of them would know where he was. Stefan and Elena both texted her back, neither knew where he was. Her worry was beginning to turn to full blown panic. She wanted to flee the restaurant and search for him, but she was frightened it could be a trap. It was the place she had ran into Elijah once and she knew it could very well happen again.

She sat and deliberated with herself for a short time, then decided she couldn't sit and wait any longer. She paid for her food and drinks, then began to walk out. On the way out the door, Tyler was walking in. He stopped her before she walked outside, looking at her with concern.

"Are you okay, Vella?"

"No, I'm not," she replied breathlessly.

"What's wrong?" his brow furrowing in concern.

"I don't know, but I can't get a hold of Damon."

"Where are you going?"

"I have no idea, but I can't sit and wait here." Her voice was near panic.

"Wherever you're going, I'm coming with you."

She was going to argue with him, but he glanced at her adamantly. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, she wouldn't really mind the company. At least she knew he is more than able to take care of himself if they ran into trouble.

They got into Tyler's car, against Vella's wishes. She wanted to drive herself, but he refused to let her drive while she was so upset. It was probably best this way, she could keep an eye out better. They drove around town for a short time, with no sign of Damon. Vella kept trying his phone, but came up with nothing. Then she had an idea. She dialed Jason and asked him to trace Damon's phone. It took a few minutes, but he traced the phone to the south side of town. Suddenly, Vella felt like she was hit by a ton of bricks, her breathing became louder as panic set in.

"What's wrong?" Tyler asked concerned.

"I know where he is."

"Where is he?"

"Drive to the south side of town, by all the warehouses. I'll let you know where to stop."

Tyler did what he was told, even though he wanted to know more, wanted to know why she was so panicked. But he figured it would be best if he didn't question her more than was necessary, he knew her well enough not to keep pushing.

When they got to the warehouses, Vella instructed Tyler where to park then got out. She headed behind the warehouse Katherine had once kept her and Stefan captive, and also where she'd been tortured by her. She kept going to the field out behind, Tyler following right behind her. Her nose picked up a scent she knew was familiar, Damon.

"It's a good thing it's almost dark," Vella uttered to Tyler quietly. He nodded, becoming prepared for what he might have to do. "Follow closely, Ty...and please don't do anything rash."

"You've got my word."

Vella crept silently through the long grass, with Tyler right behind her. He was much noisier than she was, but she didn't think she would be able to sneak up on who she thought might have Damon. As she crested a small hill, she saw Damon in the distance, lying on the ground at the feet of a familiar man, Elijah. She fought the urge to run, instead walking slowly and carefully, Tyler still only a few steps behind her.

The sun was now only a pale light, fading quickly in early twilight. The orange and yellow hues, fading until there was only shades of blue, getting steadily darker the higher in the sky, dotted with a few bright lights from far away stars. Vella could feel a sort of vibrating coming from behind her, from Tyler. She imagined he was about to transform into a werewolf. She didn't think he should, not yet, but she knew if he was upset there was no way to stop him. Just better to stay out of his way.

"Tyler, be careful," she warned. "You can't kill him."

Tyler muttered something unintelligible, then in a blur, he was a large wolf. He stood beside Vella, growling loudly, the fur standing up on his back. Vella began to walk towards Elijah, Tyler matching every step. They stopped when there were about fifty feet away.

"Nice to see you again, Vella," Elijah said with amusement. "And I see you brought your pet with you this time."

Tyler growled, baring his teeth. Vella set a hand on his back to calm him down. "It's okay, Ty. He's just trying to upset you."

Elijah grinned malevolently. "You should leash that thing before someone gets hurt."

Tyler was about to pounce at Elijah, but Vella was faster. She grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, pulling him back forcefully. "Tyler, that's what he wants. Don't play into it."

He laughed evilly. "You can't expect a filthy mongrel to be very bright."

She kept a tight hold on Tyler, while glaring angrily. "Why don't you shut your mouth or tell me what you want this time."

"Mind your manners, Vella. I am your elder after all."

She narrowed her eyes, clenching her teeth. She was trying very desperately to keep herself calm, from becoming too angry, but it was proving to be difficult, especially while she was trying to keep control of Tyler at the same time.

"What do you want with, Damon?"

"I don't want him for anything...anymore. He's served his purpose."

"And what was that?"

"I needed him to show me where Katherine's body is." Vella felt her stomach lurch. "I'll need him again later, but for now he's allowed to live."

"Why did you need to know that?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

"I want to know now," she demanded.

"You know, you should consider yourself, and Damon, lucky."

"And why is that?"

"Because I'm allowing you to live, for now. I hope you do something worthwhile with your remaining time together."

Vella wanted to charge him, hurt him, but he was right. She should be spending time with Damon. She noticed Elijah start to move, but before she could react, Tyler broke away and dashed at him. "Tyler!" she yelled, but Elijah and Tyler were out of sight in moments.

Vella ran to Damon, crouching down and pulling him into her arms. He seemed to be okay, just unconcious. She noticed some dried blood on the back of his shirt, she figured he must have been hit pretty hard, there was quite a bit of blood. She picked him up in her arms and was about to carry him off, when Tyler came running back from the direction he'd ran in.

"Are you okay, Ty?" she asked concerned.

Tyler transformed back to his human form, completely nude, panting heavily. "I managed to bite him, but it only stopped him for a second."

"That's because he's an original vampire. Your bite will only injure him, takes a little longer to heal, but it won't kill him."

"He's a what? What's going on?"

"Look, Tyler. I don't have time for this now. I'm gonna take Damon home now, you can come over later and we can talk."

Tyler's eyes hardened for a moment, then softened. "I understand. Take care of him. I'll talk to you later."

Vella smirked, as Tyler turned away. "And Ty, get some clothes on."

He turned around, laughed mockingly, then walked away. Vella laughed as she ran towards home.

Vella laid Damon on the couch, propping him up with a few of the throw pillows. She laughed to herself at the irony of the situation. How many times had Damon rescued her? Now it was the other way around. She didn't like it at all. It felt wrong. She wanted to trade places with him, but the situation gave her insight into what Damon must feel when she was hurt or in danger, because all she felt was fear and panic. She would've given anything to be in his position instead.

She sat vigil on the floor beside the couch. She could have sat in a chair, but she wanted to be right there with him. Other than a trip to the fridge for some blood, she didn't leave his side, not even when Tyler showed up. She wouldn't get up to answer the door, so he let himself in. She didn't really care one way or the other, but she knew Damon would have been furious.

She explained everything she knew to Tyler, about Elijah and Klaus, then told him to leave. She didn't want Damon to be upset more than he already would be when he woke up. He left, just as Stefan and Elena came home. She explained to them what had happened, then asked if they could leave her alone.

It was well past midnight when Damon finally came around. Vella had dozed off leaning against the couch, and the movement he made when he woke up, woke her up.

"Oh, Damon," she cried as she took his hand. "I'm so glad you're finally awake!"

Damon smiled at her teasingly. "I'm glad too, but do you have to be so loud? I have a headache."

She rolled her eyes heavily, shaking her head. "Same old, Damon."

"Why, were you hoping for a newer model?"

"Hmmm, let me think," she teased.

He laughed mockingly, then smiled lovingly. "I'm okay."

She stood up, retrieved a fresh bag of blood from the fridge, she had already drank the stuff she'd taken out earlier, and brought it to Damon. "Here you go."

He took the bag, downing it quickly. He smiled at her as she sat at the end of the couch. "This is a refreshing change, you looking after me," he teased. "Maybe I need to be hurt more often."

"No, this is against the natural order of things," she teased back. Her joking didn't show in her eyes.

Damon could tell she was upset, but he didn't want her to know that he noticed. He was upset himself and the joking was only to cover up how upset he really was. He was worried after what had happened, that he wouldn't be able to protect her when Klaus came, and he just couldn't lose her.

The couple spent a little time cuddling on the couch, before heading up to their own bed. Damon was still tired, so he was able to finally fall asleep a short time later. Vella's body was exhausted, but her mind wouldn't allow her to sleep so easily. Thoughts were running through her head and they wouldn't stop. It was nearly dawn when she finally settled into a restless sleep.

Vella woke up late the next morning, staring at a smiling face who handed her a cup of coffee.

"I didn't want to wake you," Damon said regretfully. "But I didn't think you would have wanted to sleep all day."

She smiled thankfully as she took the cup from Damon. "You're right."

He sat on the bed next to her, gazing pensively. "I'm really sorry about yesterday. I wish you hadn't had to take care of me like that. It should be the other way around."

She shook her head. "You can cut the macho crap, Damon. We're supposed to take care of each other."

"You're right," he said with a teasing smile. "At least I had a really hot nurse to look after me."

"Oh boy," she said rolling her eyes teasingly. "You're really full of it today."

"I can't help it," he joked with a grin. "You bring out the best in me."

"We'll see about that," she said grinning mischieviously. She set her cup of coffee on the nightstand, then turned over in the bed, pouncing on Damon. She pinned him down and began kissing him roughly, passionately. She needed him so badly, she barely noticed how rough she was being. But he was ready for her, as he always was, maybe even more so now. He was afraid to lose her and she was afraid to lose him. They both felt each other's needs and fed into it, as much for themselves as the other.

After their lovemaking, they laid in bed just holding each other for a time. Neither had much to say, they'd already shown each other how they felt, no words were necessary. But Vella couldn't stay there all day, the day was half over and she needed to get to her cabin. She didn't want to leave Damon, but it was something she had to do.

Before allowing her to leave, Damon made her promise to keep her phone on at all times. She made him promise the same, and they activated the GPS tracking for their phones, so they could find each other at all times. Normally, Vella might have seen this is an invasion of privacy, but for now, it seemed logical, even necessary. She had nothing to hide either way. She was going to be at the cabin and that was the only place she would be.

It was after noon when she arrived at her cabin. Vella went straight into researching, but her mind began to wander. Then she remembered something, a dream she had the night before, when she was tossing and turning. Her subconcious mind had come up with a solution to her problem, she just had to hope she remembered it properly.

Vella began writing furiously, trying to remember everything. When she was finished, she pulled a plain, silver bracelet out of her purse and set it down on the coffee table, among the books and papers littering it. She also took a small ziploc bag from her purse, filled with dried purple flowers, and a set of tweezers. She carefully pulled a few flowers out of the bag, being very careful not to touch them, and placed them on top of the bracelet. Then she closed her eyes, concentrating. She opened them a moment later, her hands hovering over the bracelet and vervain. She began to chant quietly, barely mumbling, channeling power from her surroundings, from nature. She was focusing everything she had on the jewelry and flowers. They began to float, hover in the air, just below her hands, then suddenly there was a flash of light and the bracelet fell to the table, somehow changed, the flowers gone.

Vella stopped to breathe a few deep breaths, before picking up the bracelet. She looked at it carefully before putting it on her wrist, trying to be sure the spell had worked. The truth was she didn't know if it worked or not, even though she felt that it had, and the only way she would know for sure was to test it out. She wrote a few more sentences in her new grimoire, then closed it, and the rest of the books. She tugged at the bracelet absent mindedly, forgetting it was there. She wasn't used to it, but hoped she would soon. It might be the difference between life and death for her and her loved ones.

**A/N: I was going to go the way of being immune to vervain by drinking it, which I had actually thought of at the beginning of my story, but then the TV show used that before I did, so I chose a different way. I like to try and be original and creative. Hopefully you all think it was a creative option. Would love a review of you have some time.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	94. Chapter 94

Chapter 94 ~ The Test

Vella was elated when she arrived home late that afternoon. Not only did she think she succeeded in creating a new weapon against the Originals, she was home way earlier than she had anticipated.

"You're home early," Damon greeted her as she walked into the livingroom, where he was having a drink. "Is that a good sign?"

"The best," she said smiling brightly.

Damon poured her a drink, handing it to her after she sat on the couch. "Is that new?" he asked, pointing to the bracelet.

"No, I've had it for a long time. I just felt like wearing it."

He looked at her strangely, but didn't ask. He was curious, but decided not to push his luck, not while she seemed to be in a good mood.

Vella was finally able to relax for the first time in quite a few days. She sat with Damon having drinks and talking, then began to watch a movie, until they were interrupted by a knock at the door.

Damon opened the door, glaring at the visitor. "What do you want?"

"May I come in?" John asked. "I'd like to speak to my daughter."

Damon narrowed his eyes, then stepped aside to allow John to enter. He showed him to the livingroom where Vella was still sitting on the couch.

"I'm surprised to see you," she said.

"I heard about what happened yesterday, I wanted to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine, John," she said. "It was Damon who was hurt, not me."

"I know, but..."

"But what, John?"

He walked closer, sitting on the far end of the couch. "I'm worried about you."

"Don't be, John. I'll be fine."

"I wish I could have your confidence."

"Why do you care, John?" Damon asked irritably. "You killed her, didn't care for years, now all of a sudden you do?"

"Damon, it's okay," Vella said in a calming voice.

"No, it's not."

"I see that you're fine, Vella, so I'm just going to leave," John said standing up. "I don't want to cause any problems."

"Your existence is a problem, John," Damon said glaring.

"Damon! That's enough!" she yelled, standing up. She walked with John to the front door, apologizing.

"It's okay, Vella, I understand," he said sincerely. "I don't blame him for being angry with me."

"I don't either but he didn't need to be so rude," she said irritated. "Before you go, I want to thank you for being concerned. But I still can't completely trust you. I hope you understand."

"Of course I do," he said with a knowing smile. "I hope one day things will be different."

"Me too," she said, watching John turn and leave. She waited until he had driven off before closing the door.

"You're not angry with me, are you?" Damon asked as she walked back into the livingroom.

She pondered the question for a moment before answering. "No, not really. I understand why you're mad and don't blame you." Damon opened his mouth to say something, but she interrupted. "I don't want to fight with you, Damon. Not over him. I just want to enjoy the time we have together."

"Why does that sound like pessimism to me?"

"It's not pessimism, it's realism."

He smiled, sitting down beside her. "Let's not mince words."

"That sounds like a great idea," she said smiling. "All I want to do is spend time with my wonderful and sexy husband, is that so wrong?"

He grinned deviously, pulling her into an embrace. "I don't know about wonderful, but I am very sexy."

She laughed, rolling her eyes teasingly. "How bout you put up or shut up?"

"Is that a challenge?"

"Only if you think you can arise to the challenge," she teased.

He smiled, then in a flash he picked her up and carried her upstairs.

Vella woke up the next morning bright and early, just before the first rays of sun shone through the opening of the curtains. She smiled fondly as she thought about the night before. She glanced over at Damon with a smile, feeling an overwhelming urge to crawl back into bed with him, and wake him with kisses. But she had promised to visit with Jenna today to help with her wedding. As much as she wanted to be a part of the wedding, she also wanted to ask Jenna to postpone it, put it off, but what would she tell her when she asked why? Because she had a bad feeling? Because she was afraid something bad might happen? But she didn't know for sure if something bad was going to happen, so she decided it would be better to say nothing.

Vella arrived at Jenna's early, but not too early. They had coffee, then began the arduous task of putting the final touches on the wedding.

"Where are you going on your honeymoon?"

"We haven't really decided on that yet?" Jenna replied.

"Really?" Vella replied in shock. "Then I'm gonna pay for your honeymoon, as a wedding present."

"I can't let you do that," she answered, shaking her head.

"Yes, you can," she said with a smile. "It's the least I can do."

"Vella, I appreciate it, but it's okay."

"No, Jenna, it's not okay. I'm gonna send you on your dream vacation and you're gonna like it."

Jenna smiled, about to argue, but she knew Vella wasn't going to relent. "Fine, you win."

"I always win," she replied teasingly. "Now where do you want to go? Hawaii? Europe? The Caribbean?" She hoped Jenna would choose somewhere far, the further the better. She had alterior motives for wanting to send her on a honeymoon. She hoped they would be far away when Klaus showed up in town. The fewer people around that she cared about, the better. And knowing that Alaric would probably want to be a part of the fight, was even more motive to send the two of them away.

"Let me talk with Alaric first."

"Fine, but make up your mind quick so I can get everything in place in time."

Jenna nodded.

The two ladies discussed more wedding plans, had more coffee and talked. It was midafternoon before Vella left the Gilbert house. She was going to head home, but something made her decide to head to The Grill. She texted Damon, letting him know where she would be, then headed there.

The place was a little busy when she arrived. She saw Tyler with a few friends, Matt was working and Bonnie and Jeremy were sitting together in a booth. She smiled, still finding it odd that the two of them were dating.

She was going to sit at the bar, but she remembered her promise to Damon. So instead, she decided to sit with Bonnie and Jeremy for a little while.

"Hey, cuz!" Jeremy greeted her.

"Hey, Jer," she said with a smile. "Hey, Bonnie."

"Hey, Vella," Bonnie greeted her. "How are you?"

"Fine, actually. I just came from seeing Jenna."

"Wedding stuff?" she asked.

"Yeah. It's right around the corner now."

"Vella. Did you know Uncle John is in town?" Jeremy asked.

She pursed her lips to keep from showing her emotions. "Yes, he's visited me a couple of times."

"What's he want?"

"I'm not exactly sure," she replied with a shrug.

The three made small talk for a short time, with Vella constantly checking her phone and watch. She had expected Damon to contact her by now, but he hadn't. It filled her with a sense of dread.

Vella excused herself from the table, walking into the back hallway where the bathrooms were. She checked Damon's GPS, which said he was at home, then put her phone in her pocket. Doubt and worry began to fill her mind. She hoped that Damon had only forgotten his phone at home and was fine, but she was having a hard time believing that. The whole time she'd known Damon, he'd rarely ever left anywhere without his phone.

She was about to head over to the table with Jeremy and Bonnie, when she felt someone's hand on her shoulder. She turned around quickly in surprise, scowling at the man behind her.

"Eliljah," she said with distaste.

"It's always a pleasure, Vella."

"I wish I could say the same."

He smiled a devilish grin. "My brother is going to have fun playing with you, breaking you."

"He's going to find that extremely difficult."

"Not as difficult as you can imagine," he said grinning. He gazed deeply into her eyes, trying to compel her, but he realized he couldn't. He took a step back in surprise, glaring strangely. "What kind of trick is this?"

Vella smiled proudly, holding her head high. "You thought it was impossible for me to protect myself from your compulsion, but you were wrong."

"What kind of magic is this?"

"That's exactly what it is, magic," she said triumphantly. "You should have saved your little trick for later. I might not have had time to come up with something."

Elijah glared at her angrily. He narrowed his eyes, then walked away. She waited until she saw him walk out of the restaurant, before breathing a sigh of relief.

Vella decided to go home to see if she could find Damon. While the test of her new jewelry had went well, she knew that Elijah was going to be much more careful from now on, and probably a little more than angry. But as she walked by Jeremy and Bonnie's table, Bonnie reached out and grabbed her wrist.

"Are you okay, Vella?" she asked concerned.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"You know why. I saw the man talking to you and I sensed what he is."

"Actually, it went fine," she said shortly. "I would love to stay and chat but I need to go right now. I promise to call you later."

Bonnie nodded, then Vella said her goodbyes to both her and Jeremy, then left for home. She stopped at the front door for a second, feeling something strange, then ran inside the house. She found Damon lying on the couch, asleep.

Vella called his name and shook him, but he still didn't wake. She pried his eyes open gently with her fingers, but he still didn't move. Panic began to set in as she sat down on a chair and began breathing heavily. She couldn't sort out her emotions, panic, fear, anger, all reared their ugly heads and neither wanted to relent. She closed her eyes trying to relax. She tried counting, deep breathing and anything else she could think of to try and momentarily distract her enough to gain control over her emotions, but nothing really worked. She was about to get up and pace, when she saw a wooden stake sitting on the table beside her. She picked it up and with no hesitation, she stabbed herself in the thigh.

Pain. That was a sure way to distract herself long enough to get control over herself, and it worked. As she wrenched the stake out of her leg, she was able to see things more clearly. She pushed all emotion out of her mind, then kneeled beside the couch, her hands resting on Damon's arm. She closed her eyes, concentrating, channeling power from around her, trying to block out all doubt. She channeled all of it into Damon, carefully, with skill. It was a slow process, since she had to be careful not to hurt Damon and it was very exhausting, but none of that mattered to her. She didn't stop until she saw his eyes flutter and open.

"What happened?" Damon asked groggily as he noticed Vella kneeling beside him.

She smiled, expelled a deep breath, then nearly collapsed against the couch. She heard Damon's worried voice and opened her eyes. She found herself staring into his beautiful deep blue eyes. She could see his love for her in them, but also his worry and concern. She smiled at him, more to comfort him, but she was also happy to see he was awake.

Once she felt up to it, she managed to pull herself up on the couch, sitting beside Damon. He wanted to ask her what had happened, but he was happy just to sit with her. She stayed in his arms quietly for a few minutes before she felt strong enough to speak.

"Did Elijah pay you a visit today?" she asked.

"Yes. How did you know?"

"Just a hunch. I saw him too, at The Grill."

"You did?" he asked with concern. "What happened?"

She grinned. "It went fine. Except he's really pissed now."

"Why? What did you do?"

She grinned again. "He tried to compel me but it didn't work."

"How is that possible?" he asked with surprise.

Vella lifted up her arm, showing him the bracelet she now wore. "This is what I've been working on at the cabin all this time," she explained excitedly. "I managed to fuse the vervain in the bracelet in such a way that it won't burn us when we wear it."

"And it works?" he asked, her excitement making him smile.

"Yes, yes, it works great. Now I can make one for you and Stefan."

Damon wanted to cringe when she spoke his brother's name, but he was able to stop himself. He was still angry with him, but he tried not to show it. Instead he smiled at her with pride. "I always knew you were the best."

Vella smiled brightly, feeling a surge of pride. She kissed him happily for a moment, then cuddled up, letting him wrap his supportive arms around her. She always felt safe when he held her like this. She didn't ever want to leave the comfort of them.

"When are you going to make me one?" he teased.

She shook her head, rolling her eyes. "Later, when I've had time to recover. But in the meantime, why don't you find yourself a piece of jewelry you'll want to wear."

He smiled at her strangely, then laughed.

"What?" she asked confused.

He laughed a little louder, then kissed her on the top of the head. "Sometimes you can be so silly."

She looked at him strangely, but all he did was smile. "What?" she asked again, only a little more irritated this time.

"I already wear one you can use," he said grinning. She still looked confused, so he held up his left hand, pointing to his ring finger. "My wedding ring," he said smirking.

"Oh," she replied, feeling foolish. "I guess I wasn't thinking."

"Hey," he said pulling her close, kissing her lightly. "Don't feel bad. I was only teasing you. I know you've had a lot going on."

She smiled. "Yeah, but it was silly of me not to remember your wedding ring of all things."

"I forgive you," he teased, kissing her softly.

The next day, after a good night's sleep, Vella felt up to using magic once again. She had to retrieve her grimoire from the cabin first, to make sure she wouldn't make a mistake, she couldn't take any chances. But once she was back home, she proceeded to cast the spell on Damon's wedding ring and a necklace Stefan had received from Elena as a gift. She was exhausted after the spell, so she spent the rest of the day at home with Damon.

The next few days went relatively smooth. When Vella wasn't at home spending time with Damon, she was with Jenna, dealing with last minute preparations for the wedding, including plans for the honeymoon. Vella had convinced Jenna and Alaric to take her up on her offer to pay for the honeymoon, so she was sending them on a month long tour of Europe, something Alaric had always wanted to do. Vella was just happy to get them out of town for as long as possible.

It was well over a week later, before Vella laid eyes on Elijah again. He was once again at The Grill, but he wasn't hiding. He was sitting at the bar in plain view. She knew if she didn't talk to him now, he would just follow her, so she sat in the empty seat beside him.

"What are you doing here, Elijah?"

He turned to face her with a look of amusement. "Are you really that confident? Or just stupid?"

"I'm not stupid, Elijah," she said shortly. "I'm just not the kind who begs for their life."

"What about those of your friends? Would you beg for their lives?"

She narrowed her eyes angrily. "You're going to leave my friends alone."

"I don't take kindly to demands, my dear."

"What about threats?" she said gritting her teeth. "How do you deal with those?"

He laughed derisively, with a malevolent grin. "Klaus will have his way with you one way or the other, Vella. You can either choose to do it the easy way, or a lot of other people will have to suffer first."

"You send him a message for me," she said completely enraged. "If he hurts one person I care about, I will make him suffer. And that isn't a threat, it's a promise."

She made to get up from her seat, but Elijah grabbed a hold of her wrist, pulling her close to him. "Having the knowledge to kill an Original is not the same as being able to accomplish it. I would suggest you think twice before trying to resist." He let go of her wrist, downed the rest of his drink, then got up and left, leaving Vella standing there stunned.

**A/N: What do you think Elijah has in store for her next? And when the hell will Klaus show up, eh? LOL. Soon, I swear.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	95. Chapter 95

Chapter 95 ~ The Sommers/Saltzman Wedding

The week leading up to the wedding was hectic, but quiet. It sent a feeling of dread through Vella, but everyone else looked at it as a blessing. She seemed to be the only one who was worried when Elijah didn't show his face around anywhere. She stopped sharing her fears, when Damon told her to stop worrying so much, but that didn't stop her from keeping an eye out and worrying enough for the both of them.

By the day of the wedding, Vella was exhausted. Between juggling her duties as the maid of honor and doing her best to keep an eye on her loved ones, it had become too much. Even sleep was becoming increasingly difficult to find. When she did sleep, she would have nightmares and wake several times through the night. Eventually she took some sleeping pills, but they didn't help her like she had hoped. She even tried something much stronger. But while she was able to find some sleep, it was still restless and filled with bad dreams.

Damon knew she had been restless, but Vella never mentioned the nightmares. Some nights they were so vivid, it was hard to distinguish between dream and reality. They were filled with pain, fear, torment and sadness. She often wondered if Elijah had something to do with them, but with the vervain in her bracelet, it should have kept her mind free and safe from his influence. But she could never be one hundred percent sure about that.

She had already been awake when her alarm went off that morning. She woke Damon, who was Alaric's best man, and jumped in the shower. She had a quick shower so Damon could have one as well. After she was dressed, she had some coffee and blood then drove over to Jenna's to pick her up.

Jenna was awake but she was having cold feet. Vella had to talk to her, calm her, reassure her, before she would even get dressed. But once she was dressed, she left with no more hesitation.

They arrived at the salon just after everyone else. Elena, Bonnie, Caroline and Jenna's friend from school, Donna, were waiting for them.

"We were delayed," Vella explained, so Jenna could save face. She didn't want anyone to know she had been too nervous to leave the house.

After everyone had their hair, nails and make up done, they all headed to the church. After the ladies got dressed, they all helped Jenna get into her dress, without messing up her hair or make up. Then everyone went outside of the church for some photos of the bridal party.

The wedding ceremony went off without a hitch, except when Damon pretended that he had lost the ring. Alaric knew him well enough not to fall for it though.

After the ceremony, they all had many, many pictures taken, then went to the hall they rented for the dinner and reception. The dinner went by fine, with many toasts, some jokingly as usual, but the tough part came when it was time for the dancing.

As always, the bride and groom always had the first dance. Vella smiled as she watched Jenna and Alaric dancing, remembering her first dance with Damon very fondly. He seemed to have known what she was thinking, as he took her hand in his and pulled her close.

The next dance however, didn't go quite so well. It was customary for the bride to dance with the best man and the groom to dance with the maid of honor. While no one seemed to be bothered by Jenna and Damon dancing, Vella and Alaric were another story. Both Damon and Jenna gritted their teeth watching them dance. Both of them were bothered by them being so close, but Vella was probably as uncomfortable being so close to Alaric as they were by watching. She cut the dance short after she nearly knocked him over. It would have been funnier to her if it had happened by accident, but it didn't. She had faked it, so she didn't have to dance with him any longer. She knew it was bothering Damon and Jenna, and it was bothering her to see them suffer, so a little embarrassment was a small price to pay for their peace of mind.

Couples dancing had never been one of Vella's strong suits, but Damon had taught her enough in the time they had been married to not make a fool of herself. Most people didn't even realize she had never really learned how to dance. She learned a bit from Damon, but it wasn't really because she wanted to, it was because Damon enjoyed dancing with her and she enjoyed making him happy. But now, she was happy that he had. She danced with many people, including Matt, Tyler and Jeremy, but she stayed away from Alaric and Stefan. Of course she danced with Damon more than anyone. He would have liked to have been the only one to dance with her all night, but he wasn't jealous, he was selfish. He wanted her all to himself. He had also danced with some other people, but he hadn't really wanted to dance with anyone but his wife.

When it was time for Jenna and Alaric to sneak out of the party, Vella insisted on following them. She followed them on foot, until the limo pulled into the Gilbert house and she watched the two newlyweds walk into the house. She knew they would be safe there, no vampire could get in without being invited. She would escort them to the airport the next day to make sure they made their flight safely. She wasn't taking any chances. Everyone thought she was being paranoid, but she knew one could never be too careful, especially now.

When she got back to the party, Damon immediately pulled her onto the dance floor.

"Where did you go?" he asked with worry.

"I followed Jenna and Alaric home. I told you that's what I was gonna do."

"I know. I just thought you would change your mind."

"You mean, after I had a few drinks?"

"I didn't mean that," he said looking disappointed. "I meant after you loosened up."

"I'm not being paranoid, Damon," she said glaring. "I just don't understand why you aren't taking any of this seriously."

"I am. I'm deathly afraid of what might happen to you," he replied, pulling her closer. "But I was hoping for one night with you where we could relax."

She smiled lovingly, laying her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, you're right."

They finished dancing to the song, before they were interrupted.

"May I dance with my daughter?" John asked.

Damon looked at Vella questioningly, who nodded her head in response.

"Take good care of her," he said as he gave her hand to John.

John took Vella's hand, pulling her away slightly so they were near the outside of the crowd who were dancing. "I know you probably didn't want to dance with me, so, thank you."

She smiled weakly, but didn't respond. She'd already had quite a bit to drink and she didn't trust herself to say anything. She danced with John and when the song was almost over, Matt interrupted.

"Can I have the next dance?" he asked.

Something in the way he asked made Vella worry. John nodded and Matt took his place. He waited until no one was close before speaking.

"Vella, I can't find, Caroline. I'm worried."

"I'm sure she's fine, Matt," she replied reassuringly. "But if it will make you feel better, I'll go look for her."

"Please," he said pleadingly.

"Stay here," she said running off.

She went to the table where her stuff was and kicked her shoes off, she knew she could walk faster in her barefeet than high heels, plus she was really sick of wearing them. She didn't mind dressing up, but she hated high heels. She asked a few of the ladies Caroline had been talking to if they had seen her, but neither of them had seen her for some time. The last time Matt had seen her was when they were dancing almost twenty minutes before. She scanned the room once quickly, then headed out the nearest exit.

Once outside, Vella stood still, listening and smelling. She could smell the vague fragrance of perfume on the air, but it smelled too faint to tell what direction it was coming from. She was quickly reminded of another party she once attended three years before. She had been lured out then into a trap and she felt like it was happening all over again. The difference now was she knew it was probably a trap and she wasn't going to go running headlong into trouble, if she could help it.

She walked slowly through the parking lot, listening carefully. She heard some rustling coming from a copse of trees that was behind the parking lot, so she walked slowly towards the trees, listening. When she made it to the trees, she heard the muffled sounds of mumbling and some shuffling around. She reached down to where her pocket normally would be, then remembered she was wearing a dress and her phone was in her purse, inside. She debated for a few seconds whether she should go back inside to get help, but if Caroline was in trouble, she didn't have time to go back.

Vella listened for a minute, trying to distinguish the sounds she could hear. She hoped that it was maybe a couple fooling around, but her intuition told her otherwise. She walked slowly into the trees, through some low lying brush and debris, into a clearing. On the other side of the clearing was Caroline, but she wasn't alone. She was standing in front of another man, and beside them was Elijah and Jeremy.

"Jeremy! Caroline!" she yelled.

Elijah grinned at her evilly. "I knew you would come alone."

"And how did you know that?"

"Because that's what you do. You always think you can handle everything alone. You never want anyone else to get hurt. It's your weakness."

"Let them go, Elijah!" she demanded. "This is between you and me."

"You know I can't do that. There wouldn't be any fun in that."

"What do you want?"

"I want you to suffer, Vella. I want you to see you can't protect everyone."

"If you want me to go with you I will, just leave them out of this," she begged.

"I don't want you, my brother does. He'll be here in a couple days, but for now, I'm supposed to show you what could happen if you don't give in to what he wants." He smiled malevolently. "You have two choices now, so think carefully. You can save your cousin, or you can save the girl."

"How?" she asked fearfully.

"You see their faces? They're covered in blood, my blood." Vella eyes opened widely when she realized what he meant. "Yes, Vella. Both of them have injested my blood and now you get to choose which one I kill and which one I don't."

"Don't do this, please!" she pleaded. "I'll do anything, just don't do this."

"No way. This is just too much fun. A shame I won't be able to watch you try and keep a newly turned vamp under control while waiting for my brother to show." He nodded at the other man, who she assumed was a vampire too, and he pushed Caroline a step away from him, Elijah did the same with Jeremy. Then he looked at Vella and said, "Choose which to save, you won't have time to save both."

Vella looked back and forth at Jeremy and Caroline's pleading faces, not knowing what to do. She knew she only had a split second to react and she had to do it decisively. She was afraid if she didn't make a decision, she might be responsible for both of their deaths and subsequent transitions.

"Please, Elijah," she pleaded. "Don't do this. They aren't a part of this."

He stared at her with a hint of a grin. "You have one minute to make a decision or I'll kill them both."

Vella barely waited for him to finish his sentence, she dashed towards Jeremy and sent a blast of magic towards the other vampire, who flew backwards, but when Elijah realized what she had done, he ran towards Caroline and snapped her neck. He turned to Vella, smirked evilly and ran off into the night.

"Caroline!" Vella yelled as she ran towards her, pulling Jeremy along with her. The other vampire stood up and left, just as Vella came near.

Vella picked Caroline up into her arms, feeling for a pulse. She knew by the way her head was turned there was no possible way she was still alive, but she still had to check. Tears began rolling down her face as she cradled her body.

"Vella," Jeremy said softly as he laid a supportive hand on her shoulder. "You know she's not dead."

Vella looked up at him sadly. "She is dead, Jer. Even if she's a vampire, that doesn't change the fact she's dead. And it's all my fault."

"It's not your fault," he said, putting his arm around her. "It wasn't you that did this. You tried to save us."

"But if I hadn't been alone this might not have happened."

"But if you had come with someone else, he might have killed both of us. Don't blame yourself, Vella."

Vella smiled at him weakly, then frowned. "Did you drive here today?"

"No. I took a limo."

"Dammit," she muttered under her breath. "Okay, I'm going to take her to the boarding house. Go tell Damon what happened. Make sure you stay with him or Stefan."

"Stefan was driving us to your house anyway, remember? So Jenna and Alaric could have the house to themselves."

"Right, I forgot. Just go tell Damon, he'll deal with everything."

Vella stood up, picking Caroline up into her arms. She brushed some stray hairs from her face and felt herself fighting back a fresh wave of tears.

"Wait!" Jeremy called. "Should I tell Matt or Sheriff Forbes what happened?"

"I don't know, Jer. Let Damon decide, I can't really think straight right now."

"Okay,' he said and began to walk away.

"Jer," Vella called. "Can you make sure Damon doesn't forget my purse and shoes."

He nodded and continued towards the parking lot. Vella stood where she was until she heard him walk inside the building, then left at her quickest run to the boarding house.

It was dark when she arrived at the house. She realized she didn't have her keys with her, they were in her purse, so she had to find the spare key, which she had forgotten where it was since she had never needed to use it. She could have kicked the door down, but she wasn't in the mood to have to replace the door.

Once she managed to find the key and open the door, she flipped on a bunch of lights then gently laid Caroline down on the couch. She sat on a chair beside her, with her head in her hands and cried. It was all her fault. If she hadn't goaded Elijah, Caroline would probably still be at the party with Matt and everything would be like it was supposed to be. But that wasn't what had happened and no matter what, she wasn't going to let go of the blame. She wanted to look at the brightside, at least Jeremy was fine, but that couldn't change the fact that Caroline would never be fine again.

It was about half an hour before Damon made it home with Stefan, Elena, Jeremy, Bonnie, Tyler, Matt and Caroline's mother, Sheriff Liz Forbes. Vella stepped away from the couch, so everyone else could see Caroline and then she quietly left unnoticed and went upstairs, where she sat on her bed in the pitch dark.

Damon came searching for her a few minutes later. He walked into the room, flipped on the lights and found his wife just sitting at the edge of the bed, staring, a blank expression on her face. He sat down beside her, putting his arm around her. "This isn't your fault," he said softly. "This is Elijah's fault. And when I catch up to him I'm gonna kill him." When she didn't say anything, he tried pulled her into an embrace, but she still didn't speak or move.

"Please, Vella. Don't do this to yourself. I don't think I could handle losing you again."

After a few more minutes of silence, Damon couldn't take it anymore. He decided he would be better off downstairs trying to help everyone deal with Caroline. He hoped that giving Vella some space would help, though he doubted it. He knew what she was like when she was upset and feeling guilty.

Vella sat on the bed for some time, before finally laying down and putting a pillow over her head, this way she could only hear muffled sounds, she didn't want to hear any conversations. She wanted to sleep, desperately, but her mind wouldn't rest. She wanted it to go away, to turn it all off, but she was afraid to, after the last time. She was so deep in thought, she didn't even notice when someone walked into the room, until they sat on the bed next to her. Startled, she almost threw the pillow across the room, turning to see who it was sitting on the bed.

"John," she said, sighing. "I don't want to talk to anyone."

"Then don't talk, just listen," he replied softly.

He waited for a moment to see if she was going to reply, but she didn't. However, she did sit up in bed, leaving a large gap between the two of them.

"I know I'm not your favorite person, but I was hoping that you would talk to me."

"Why would I want to talk to you if I don't want to talk to Damon?"

"Because you can say anything to me. Be as angry as you want to be, it doesn't matter. I'll still be your father either way."

She sighed deeply. "You can't help me, so why bother trying?"

"I know you feel guilty."

"How the hell do you know how I feel?" she asked angrily.

Good. She's feeling something other than guilt, he thought. "You feel guilty because that's who you are. You're sympathetic and compassionate. You always want to help people and if things don't turn out the way you want them to, you blame yourself."

"And you know this how?"

"Because you're so much like your mother in that respect. She felt the same way. Whenever she couldn't help someone, she blamed herself."

"Stop talking about my mom!" she yelled with rage. "It's your fault she's dead!"

"You're right. It's my fault, not yours. But you blame yourself, don't you? Just like you're blaming yourself for your sister and now Caroline."

"I said shut up!" she screamed. She grabbed him by the shoulders, picking him up and slamming him against the wall, holding him against it. "Why did you do it? Why did you do it?" Angry tears began flowing down her face. "I should kill you!"

He looked at her seriously, speaking very calmly. "If that will help you get over it, then please do. Just stop blaming yourself."

Vella gazed at him angrily for a moment, before she comprehended what had been said. It felt good to finally vent, say what she'd felt about him for so long. It felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She slowly let go of John, backed away, shuddering, then dropped to the floor, her head on her knees and began to sob.

John stood where he was, allowing Vella to cry. He waited until her sobbing slowed down before moving. He walked over to her, crouching down and laid his hand on her shoulder supportively. "Are you going to be okay?"

Vella lifted her head from her knees, wiping her face with the back of her hand. She noticed there were black smears, then realized she'd made a huge mess of her makeup. "Yeah, but I must look hideous right now."

John smiled. "You look as beautiful as always."

She smiled weakly, then began to stand up. He grabbed her hand and helped her to her feet. "Why don't you go get cleaned up," he suggested. "I'll wait here if you want me to."

"Thank you, John," she said hugging him quickly. "I'd like that." He nodded, smiling lightly.

Vella cleaned herself up in the bathroom, then went back to her room where John was still waiting for her. "Are you feeling any better?" he asked.

" A little."

"Do you want to go downstairs now?" he asked hesitantly. "Everyone's worried about you."

"Worried about me, why?"

"Because they care about you, that's why."

"What about, Caroline?"

"What about her? Can't they worry about both of you?"

She looked away, feeling very uncomfortable. "I guess so."

He smiled, reaching out his hand. "Let's go downstairs."

**A/N: Yeah, I went the way of the show and chose Caroline. It sorta makes it easier that way I guess. Of course you know that Vella would save Jer first anyways since he's related. And yes, Klaus will show up soon.**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	96. Chapter 96

Chapter 96 ~ Caroline

Vella walked into the livingroom, with John close behind her. Everyone glanced towards her for a moment, then turned back to what they were doing. She noticed Caroline was awake and talking to her mother, while everyone else stood nearby talking to each other.

Damon approached Vella slowly, keeping his eyes locked on hers. When he was sure she was okay, he grasped her roughly and pulled her into a tight embrace, while mouthing the words, "Thank you," to John. He nodded and walked over to Jeremy.

"I was worried about you, love," Damon whispered as he pulled back so he could gaze into her eyes. "How did your talk with John go?"

She smiled slightly. "Better than fine, actually. Was that your suggestion?"

He grinned, kissing her on the forehead. "No, it was John's idea. But, I thought it might help or I wouldn't have let him talk to you."

She frowned slightly, looking past his shoulder. "How is she?"

"She's not too bad, considering. I think Liz is more freaked out than Caroline." Tears began to develop in her eyes. "She wants to talk to you, privately."

"Who, Liz?"

"No, Caroline."

"Me? Why?" she asked with surprise.

"I'm not sure."

Vella let go of Damon and walked over to the couch where Caroline was sitting up, still talking to her mother. "Hey, Caroline. How are you?"

"I'm okay," she replied, a little less enthusiastic than usual. "Can we talk in private?"

"Of course. Should I ask everyone to leave?"

"No, let's go into the kitchen."

Vella nodded, giving a hand to Caroline to help her up from the couch. They walked into the kitchen, sitting down beside each other at the kitchen table, turning their chairs to face each other.

"The first thing I wanted to say was, don't blame yourself for what happened," Caroline said sincerely. "I know that's why everyone was so worried about you. I don't blame you and I'm pretty sure no one else does either."

Vella shifted her gaze to avoid looking directly in her eyes. "It was my fault regardless of what you say, Caroline."

"No!" she replied adamantly. "It was that vampires fault. You did what you could to save us."

"Caroline..." Vella began her argument, but Caroline interrupted.

"I don't want to hear anymore about it, Vella. You can't keep living with regrets," she said and paused for a moment. "What I wanted to tell you was...how much I respect you. You've been through so much, dealt with so much and yet you still manage to go on. You're brave and strong...I admire you Vella."

"Me?" she asked with shock. "You admire me?"

"Yes. If I could be half the vampire you are...well, than I would be a pretty good one."

"Oh, Caroline you silly girl," Vella laughed, hugging her tightly, tears running down her face. "We're gonna take good care of you."

"I know you will," she replied, crying tears of her own.

Once they dried their tears, the two ladies walked back into the livingroom. Caroline sat on the couch, and Vella found Damon drinking in the corner by himself. She approached him slowly, trying to gauge his mood. He smiled at her, setting his drink down.

"It went well I gather?" he asked curiously.

"Yes, fine. But who's going to watch her tonight?"

"Stefan and Elena, and maybe whoever else feels like it. I reminded them you had to get to bed." She looked at him questioningly. "Uh, you're escorting Alaric and Jenna to the airport, remember?"

"Oh, right. So much has gone on, it seems like it happened so long ago."

"It's okay, love," he said with a smile. "Have a drink with me then we can go to bed."

She smiled and nodded, accepting the drink he poured for her. She drank it quickly, allowing Damon to lead her upstairs to bed.

Vella slept soundly for the first night in a long time. She wasn't sure if it was the drinking, she'd had quite a bit to drink at the wedding, or that she was just so completely and utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally, that she just slept so deeply. Either way, she was content to get up just after the sun rose that morning.

"You seem to be pretty happy this morning," Damon stated groggily, as Vella came back from her shower.

"Not exactly happy, just wide awake," she said smiling, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Damon leaned up on one arm, grabbing her around the waist with the other, pulling her down on the bed. She giggled as he pulled her closer, kissing her gently.

"Damon, you're bad," she said giggling. "You know I have to go soon."

His naughty smiled turned into a pouty frown. "Aww come on, we have time," he said teasingly.

"No, this isn't the time."

"Meanie."

She smiled, shaking her head and laughed. "You're just too much."

"I know," he said and grinned.

She rolled her eyes and started to get up, but he grabbed her wrist. "Wait for me, okay. I'm coming with you."

She sighed exaggeratedly, then grinned. "Fine. Don't take too long."

"Yes, ma'am."

She gave him a deadly serious look. "Don't ever call me that. It makes me sound old."

He grinned. "You are my old lady," he laughed, jumping out of bed and dashing out of the room.

She rolled her eyes, smiling. "Yeah, you better run," she called out, then finished getting dressed.

Vella walked quietly downstairs, hoping not to disturb anyone. No one was in the livingroom, which she was happy for. She imagined they must be sleeping in one of the many rooms in the house. The kitchen was also empty, but someone had remembered to set the timer, there was a fresh pot of coffee waiting. She poured herself a cup and sat at the table to wait. It was too early for the paper, so she sat staring out the kitchen window, watching the birds. She became so engrossed, she didn't even notice when Damon walked in.

"A penny for your thoughts," he said, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

She turned her head quickly, startled. "Then I would owe you," she joked. "I wasn't thinking about anything."

"That's normal," he teased, moving out of the way of a playful slap.

"We should leave soon, Damon," she said seriously. "I don't want Jenna and Alaric leaving without us."

"Can I at least have a cup of coffee?" he said shortly.

"Of course, Mr. Grumpy," she said smirking sarcastically. "I don't like going anywhere with you before you've had your coffee."

He rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, laughing in a mocking tone. "I can't be as bad as _you_ before your coffee."

"Whatever," she replied, sticking out her tongue. "I'll be waiting for you outside."

Damon and Vella arrived at the Gilbert house just as the newlyweds were packing their car. Vella didn't want to tell them what had happened the night before, but Damon insisted. It wasn't that she didn't think they should know, she just thought it would be nice not to tell them until later.

The drive to the airport was uneventful, for which Vella was very appreciative. She'd had enough drama to last a lifetime, and it only seemed like the beginning. They watched Jenna and Alaric's plane take off before they could relax, then returned home.

Upon arriving home, they were greeted by a very cheery and friendly Caroline. Damon made an excuse and left, leaving Vella alone with her. She liked Caroline, but she could only handle her in small doses. She was angry Damon had left her alone, so she made a promise to herself to pay him back in the near future.

Vella spent the day with Caroline, while Stefan and Elena slept. Jeremy hung around for awhile before going home, but he had plans with Bonnie that day, so he wasn't there for long.

There were a few rough patches while Vella was alone with Caroline, because her emotions were everywhere, from cheery and talkative, to sad and crying and angry and yelling, but she managed to get her through them. It made Vella realize how difficult it must have been, and still is sometimes, for Damon to deal with her own outbursts of powerful emotions.

The most difficult problem for Caroline to deal with was, not being able to go out in the sun. She didn't like being cooped up in the house all day. Vella promised her she would make her something to walk in the sun, as soon as she thought she was ready, and not so dangerous. She also made a note to make her something so she couldn't be compelled by the originals.

Matt dropped by in the late afternoon, he had slept late since he had stayed up most of the night with Caroline. Vella did her best to give them space, but she couldn't stray too far, just in case. She was still able to hear what they were saying, which she wished she didn't have to listen to and did her best not to. She couldn't help but notice Matt's hesitation with her, but she hoped it was only fear and not something worse. She didn't think Caroline could handle relationship problems at the moment.

Caroline seemed more than content drinking blood from a blood bag. Stefan had wanted her to try the animal diet, but Vella and Damon wouldn't let that happen. She needed to be strong and learn how to control her bloodlust, not deny it and end up going crazy like Stefan had in the past. She knew it would be easier for Caroline, than it had for herself this second time around, because Elena had given Caroline her blood to complete the transition.

Damon came home just as the sun was setting. He walked into the livingroom to look for Vella, with something behind his back. She was still a little irritated with him and didn't notice. As he approached her, he smiled lovingly, pulling out a bouquet of pink carnations from behind his back.

Vella wanted to be angry, she really wanted to, but she couldn't resist his smile and his unbelievably sexy gaze. She embraced him, then gave him a long, slow kiss.

"I'm sorry I had to leave, love," he apologized sincerly. "I had something important to do."

"And you're not going to tell me what that is, are you?"

"I will...later," he replied rather cryptically.

Not long after, Elena and Stefan woke up and took over watching Caroline, leaving Damon and Vella free to go up to their room and spend some time alone.

"What's the matter?" Damon asked. They were laying in their bed facing each other. "Are you still angry with me?"

"No. I was more irritated than angry."

"I went out to order a lapis ring for Caroline," he explained. "She's gonna be needing it."

"That was very thoughtful of you," she said sweetly.

"Yeah, I know," he replied egotistically.

She smiled but didn't comment, she knew he was teasing her but she was wrapped up in thoughts of her own.

"I think she's doing well," he said a minute later. "I never thought she would make a very good vampire, but maybe I'm wrong."

Vella smiled, then frowned. "It never should have happened though."

"I hate to say it, but you can't protect everyone all of the time.

"I know, but.."

"No, buts," he interrupted. "You can't just blame yourself, there's tons of blame to go around. It's not going to get you anywhere to keep thinking like that. On the brightside, Caroline is here. Being a vampire might be a curse, but it's still better than being dead."

She nodded her head, then turned her thoughts inward again, while she absentmindedly played with Damon's shirt. He didn't talk or move, he knew she was thinking. He just watched her with adoring eyes. He was busy thinking as well. He made a promise to himself to protect her from Klaus no matter what. He knew deep down he could never go on living without her, not after finally finding true love. He didn't think he deserved it, but he wouldn't give it up without a fight.

Eventually, they began to cuddle, but that was all either of them wanted at that moment. They wanted to hold each other closely. At some point, both of them dozed off in each other's arms, waking up a few hours later, almost exactly as they had fallen asleep.

They were awakened by the sound of something slamming into the wall downstairs. Thankfully they were still dressed, because they dashed downstairs without thinking. Damon ran ahead of Vella, headlong into a full blown vampire tantrum.

Caroline was in the far end of the livingroom, picking up wooden chairs and throwing them against the wall. Two were already broken in a heap of sticks, chips and splinters of wood, and one other was raised above her head, ready to throw. Stefan was nearby and Elena was behind him, neither able to calm her down.

"Caroline!" Damon yelled.

Caroline turned her head to the sound of his voice, her face contorted in rage. She glared at Damon, the chair still raised above her head. "Go away, Damon! You used to be such a dick to me!"

Damon was about to reply, when Caroline threw the chair she was holding right at him. He moved out of the way in time for it to hit the floor behind him.

Vella approached her slowly and calmly, speaking peacefully. "Caroline, everything's okay. Just breathe slowly and relax." She'd had enough experience throwing tantrums of her own.

Caroline was seething. Her body was heaving from breathing heavily, her hands were clenched making tightly balled fists. But her face began to relax as she began to gain control over her emotions, the rest of her body slowly following suit. She looked at everyone in the room apologetically, flopping onto one of the last chairs standing upright.

Vella walked up to her, putting her arm around her, whispering into her ear. Caroline nodded and Vella looked at everyone in the room.

"I'm going to stay up with Caroline tonight," she said.

"Are you sure?" Stefan asked with concern.

"Absolutely."

Elena took Stefan's hand and led him upstairs without another word, while Damon stood waiting.

"I mean you too, Damon," she said putting her hands on her hips.

Damon raised an eyebrow, looking at her curiously.

Vella rolled her eyes as she approached Damon. "It'll be fine. I can handle her alone."

"I never doubted you could," he replied smirking. "I just don't want to go to bed all alone."

She smiled, kissing him deeply. "I know, but she needs me right now."

"Just promise you'll make it up to me later."

"Definitely."

He smiled, wished Caroline a goodnight, then headed upstairs to bed.

"Let's go out, Caroline," she said. "There are a few things you need to learn."

Caroline smiled warmly. "Thank you, Vella. I'm sick of being stuck here in the house."

"I know," she said, nodding understandingly. "Been there, done that."

Vella took Caroline out around town, looking for someone who was alone at that time of night. They managed to find an unsuspecting man coming back from a bar, close to where Vella used to live. Vella coaxed him into an alley, while Caroline practiced using her compulsion on him.

She knew everyone would be upset with her, but she also decided to teach her how to take blood from someone, without hurting them. Caroline was hesitant at first, but Vella explained how it would help in the long run. There would always be a time when she would need to feed, she needed to learn how to do it properly, without killing.

Vella watched Caroline carefully as her fangs punctured the man's neck and began to drink his blood. She was hungry as well and it had been awhile since she had taken fresh, warm blood from a living human being. It took a great deal of self control to watch. She wanted nothing more than to tear the man's throat out, but she managed to keep herself under control.

"That wasn't too difficult," Caroline said after she was finished feeding and compelling the man.

Vella was happy she thought so, she wished she could say the same about herself. She smiled proudly and pushed any thoughts of her own hunger out of her mind, then began heading back to the boarding house. But during the journey home, Vella came across a young couple arguing, she couldn't pass up the opportunity this time, her bloodlust was too much. She dashed towards the young man, biting his neck before he even knew what was happening and after she was through feeding, she compelled him.

Caroline had managed to compel the young woman before she began to scream. She watched calmly as Vella fed, then allowed her to feed from the young woman as well. She felt a little awkward with the whole situation, but she didn't know what to say.

Vella wiped the blood from her face using the back of her hand. She was feeling ashamed she had lost control like she had. "I'm so sorry, Caroline," she apologized. "I'm supposed to be teaching you self control and then I lose control."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not. I should be able to control myself easier than this by now," she said, looking away in shame. "I thought helping you would help me as well, but it didn't turn out that way."

"Oh, Vella, I think you're being way too hard on yourself," she said, smiling encouragingly. "Stefan told me it could take years to learn how to completely control yourself."

She smiled appreciatively, sighing. "But I don't have years, Caroline. I need to learn this now."

"When's the last time you killed somebody?"

Vella didn't have to think about it, she knew. She swallowed hard, feeling a deep shame. "Not since the night after I transitioned."

"That was months ago. I would say you've done pretty well."

She laughed ironically. "You know something, I'm supposed to be saying these things to you, not the other way around."

She smiled. "We all need help and support sometimes. I know you don't always think you do."

"When did you get so insightful, Care?"

"I guess I'm growing up," she joked. "But seriously, Vella, I know you had to look after yourself for a long time, but that doesn't mean you can't lean on your friends for support. I know Damon worries a lot about you and..."

"Caroline!" she interrupted, with an irritated look. "Enough, please. We can talk about this later."

Caroline smiled apologetically, nodding in agreement. She knew she'd begun to ramble again, but she found it even harder to stop now than she had when she was only human.

The two ladies walked at a brisk pace back to the boarding house. Neither of them were in a particular hurry, so they didn't run. They only had to be home before the sun rose, which was still an hour or so away.

Vella had decided it would be safe for Caroline to be at her own home, but she needed to make her something first. She handed her a small gold ring, with a lapis lazuli jewel, it was the one Damon had got for her, Bonnie had cast the spell on it, so she could walk in the sun. She smiled happily as she put it on, appraising it on her hand, while Vella gathered a few things on the livingroom table.

Caroline watched her curiously, as she placed them down. She recognized the vervain, but she couldn't understand what she was doing with it. She watched as she placed a simple silver necklace with a small, simple, round, pendant beside the flowers. Caroline called her name, but Vella hushed her. She continued to watch as she cast a spell on the items, the flowers disappearing, but the necklace stayed the same, or so it seemed.

Vella picked up the necklace, putting it around Caroline's neck. "Whatever you do, don't take this off either, just like the ring."

"Okay, I won't," she replied.

"You have to promise, Caroline. This is very important," she said urgently. "You can't take it off, even for a second."

"Okay," she agreed, taken aback by her seriousness. "What does it do?"

"I can't explain it to to you right now. Just please do what I ask."

Once Vella was completely satisfied that Caroline understood the importance of the necklace, they sat down and relaxed, talked and had a couple of drinks and at some point, both of them fell asleep in their chairs.

**A/N: Next chapter will be good, I swear. This was just one of those, gotta settle things before the crap starts hitting the fan lol. Trust me, Klaus is coming, SOON! And he's pretty damn evil...but hot, but I digress lol.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	97. Chapter 97

Chapter 97 ~ The Street Carnival

Vella opened her eyes, surprised to be looking at her bedroom window. The last thing she remembered was talking to Caroline in the livingroom. She rolled over, but Damon wasn't in the bed with her. She wondered how long she'd been in bed for. She felt like she'd had a decent sleep, even though it was still pretty early in the day.

Her mind began to wander to something Caroline had mentioned the night before about Damon and how he worries about her. How did she know? Why was he telling this to Caroline of all people? And if not her, then who? Who would have told her? All of these questions ran through her mind while she tried to get comfortable enough to go back to sleep, but her mind wouldn't rest, so either could she.

After her usual morning routine, which she performed slower than usual—she wasn't in any particular hurry—she went downstairs to see what was going on. As she entered the hallway, she was almost knocked over by a very enthusiastic Caroline.

"Good morning!" she greeted her cheerily.

"It's almost afternoon," she replied a little grumpy.

"Didn't you sleep well?"

Vella had slept okay, but she didn't want to tell her why she wasn't in the greatest mood. "No, not really."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kept you up all night."

She smiled. "It's not your fault, Care...really."

"Okay," she beamed. "I'm going home now thanks to you."

"No, thanks to you. You did all the hard work."

"Maybe, but I don't think I could have done it without you."

"Yes, you could have," she said, winking.

Caroline grasped her tightly in an embrace, wishing her goodbye. She watched with an amused smile as she bounded out the door happily, getting into her mother's car and driving off.

Vella smiled as she walked off, into the kitchen to grab herself a cup of coffee. Damon was sitting at the table when she entered, reading the paper. She ignored him, poured herself a cup of coffee, walking out the back door and sitting down on one of the patio chairs. She closed her eyes while sipping her coffee and listening to the birds. If she hadn't been listening carefully, she might not have noticed when Damon had come outside and sat in the chair next to her.

"Good morning, love," he greeted her with a smile. "How was your night with Caroline?"

"Fine," she replied shortly, sipping her coffee.

"Is something bothering you?"

"Yeah, actually there is," she said glaring. "Something Caroline said to me last night."

He laughed. "Well, she has a bad habit of saying things to upset people. You should know that."

"This was about you."

"Me?" he asked with surprise. "What could she possibly have to say about me?"

She didn't want to be angry with him, but it was difficult. She was irritated and a little upset with him but also upset with herself. Upset she'd almost lost complete control of herself the night before. "She was telling me how you worry about me. How would she know that if you aren't talking about me?"

"Maybe she's observant, I don't know. I don't really talk to her."

"I think it's more than that. You go to The Grill an awful lot."

"Do you think I go there to talk about you?" he asked slightly irritated.

She nodded her head. "I'm sorry, Damon. I know you need people to talk to. I'm being stupid."

He smiled and took her hand. "You're anything but stupid."

She returned his smile, but she felt guilty. She had completely blown up an innocent remark, all because she was angry with herself. Of course he needed friends to talk to, what was wrong with that? Just because she preferred to keep most things to herself didn't mean Damon had to do the same.

"I guess I'm just on edge," she said, trying to rationalize. "I know it's no excuse but I'm sorry."

"It's okay, love," he said smiling supportively. "Caroline told me about last night. I figured you might be feeling a bit guilty and stressed."

Her first instinct was to rip her hand away from his, but she fought that, just as she fought with the rest of the feelings trying to take control. She closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths in and out, then opened her eyes. Damon had moved closer so her eyes were now staring into his. She felt the rest of the anger dissipate as she looked into the beautiful blue eyes of her friend and lover.

"I guess I should be angry with her, but I'm not."

"Does that mean you're in a better mood?"

She eyed him suspiciously. "What kind of question is that?"

He grinned. "The kind that will ensure I live past the next few minutes." She looked at him even more suspiciously, narrowing her eyes. "I volunteered you to help with the big street carnival the town is having."

"Damon Salvatore! Have you gone out of your freakin mind?" she yelled in surprise.

He tried to stop grinning but he couldn't, even as she glared more and more intensely. "I'm sorry. Jenna was supposed to help but her wedding day was moved. I just assumed you wouldn't mind taking her place."

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "If I'm helping, so are you."

He knew it was a demand, and he hated giving in to demands, even from her, but the serious expression on her face told him not to refuse. "Well aren't we pillars of the community?" he laughed.

She just rolled her eyes and finished drinking her coffee.

Vella and Damon spent the day with the organizers of the street carnival, learning what their jobs would be for the day and evening. They had wanted Damon to dress as a clown, which Vella had a huge laughing fit about, but he refused to do that, even after Vella had promised to make it worth his while. Instead, he agreed to be a ticket taker, while Vella would run one of the games, she didn't know which one yet, not until the day of the carnival.

Vella didn't tell Damon, but she was feeling anxious about the carnival. It wasn't for any one reason, but a whole host of reasons. After almost losing control, she was already anxious being around people, and now she was being forced to be around a lot of people. She was also worried about Elijah and Klaus. She knew Klaus was supposed to show up in town soon and who knew when Elijah would show again to cause problems. But even though she thought it was a bad idea, she knew she needed to be there, just in case. She would just have to try her best to get over her anxiety.

Damon knew his wife was on edge, even though she didn't mention anything to him. He could tell by her body language and posture, but more than that, he could almost feel it radiating from her. He'd been feeling slightly anxious himself, ever since Elijah had turned Caroline. He'd wanted to share his feelings with Vella, but he was afraid it would upset her even more, so he kept them to himself. He hoped that taking her out to dinner at a nice restaurant would help relax her, even if it was just a little.

Dinner was as peaceful and relaxing as Damon could have hoped for. They had dinner, a few drinks and a little bit of dancing, then returned home for some love making. He was sure he had accomplished what he'd set out to do, or so he hoped, as his eyes closed and he drifted off into a deep, peaceful slumber.

As relaxing and peaceful as the evening had been, sleep was elusive for Vella. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was seriously wrong. Every time she closed her eyes, she could sense something, like she was being watched. Eventually she settled into a restless slumber, constantly waking from nightmares she couldn't quite seem to remember.

Damon woke before Vella, though he chose to stay in bed until she was awake as well. He noticed she seemed to be mumbling and thrashing about more than usual, and it worried him. He'd hoped the night before would have helped her relax, but he realized it didn't have the effect he would have liked. He would do anything to stop the pain and worry she was in, but he could only stand by and watch, it pained him deeply. He did his best to keep his pain and worry to himself, but it was tearing him apart inside. He wished he had someone to talk to. Someone he could trust. The only person he could trust, other than Vella, was another continent away and talking over the phone just wasn't going to do it.

To keep his mind off of his troubles, Damon went downstairs and made a pot of coffee, as well as some toast, eggs and juice, not forgetting a glass of blood as well. He wasn't much for eating human food most of the time, but his wife still enjoyed to eat at least one meal a day. He made enough for him as well, then gathered it all on a tray and took it up to the bedroom.

Vella was sitting up in bed when Damon entered the room. She smiled brightly, making Damon smile almost as brightly. He set the tray on the bed in front of her, then carefully climbed into the bed beside her to eat his share of breakfast.

"This is an unusual treat," she said, taking a bite of toast. "What brought this on?"

"I just thought I would try to continue from last night, since we had such a wonderful time," he answered, smiling lovingly.

"I'm on to you, Mr. Salvatore," she said grinning.

He looked at her with confusion, while she began to giggle. "You're a bit early for our anniversary," she said, answering his unasked question.

"I haven't forgotten," he said with a grin. "I have something special planned."

"I can't wait," she said smiling, taking a drink of her juice.

Damon smiled fakely, then turned away. He hadn't been planning anything special for their anniversary, but now he knew he had to. She wasn't the type to get upset over something like that, but since he had mentioned something, he definitely couldn't take it back, that would upset her.

They spent the early morning together just talking, neither discussing anything they really wanted to. Vella wanted to mention her dreams, but she was afraid of upsetting Damon.

Damon wanted to ask her about her dreams, she had been sleeping restlessly for many nights and he was worried what that might mean, but he was more afraid of asking her. She'd been very defensive lately.

They left together later in the morning, headed for downtown, where the street carnival was being held. Vella and Damon kissed passionately for a moment, before heading a different way, to their respective jobs for the day.

Vella was happy to finally know what her job would be. She would be running the fishbowl game. People could throw ping pong balls over a bunch of partially filled fishbowls, if they were able to get their ball in a fishbowl without bouncing out, they would win either a goldfish, or a stuffed animal. She was just happy it was a game of luck, she didn't want to be involved with a game that was nearly impossible to win something.

Despite her initial hesitance, after spending some time at the carnival, Vella was glad Damon had volunteered her. It had been a long time since she had been out in such a large gathering of people and felt good about it.

It was several hours later when Caroline happened to visit her booth. She was working the carnival too, which Vella was surprised about, but she seemed very much like normal. She took over Vella's booth while she had a break.

Vella went in search of Damon, who was still busy taking tickets for one of the rides. Once he managed to find someone to take his place while he took his break, he left to walk around the carnival with Vella.

They each ate some carnival food; cotton candy, candy apples, corndogs and fries. Vella was glad she didn't have to worry about cholesterol or her weight, she never would have eaten all that kind of food before she was a vampire.

As Vella walked Damon back to his work area, she began to get a headache. It started off with a dull ache, but before long she was clutching her head in agony. Damon was frightened as he held her tightly. He didn't know what to do or what could be causing her pain. But almost as quickly as it came, it left, leaving only confusion in it's place.

"What caused that?" Damon asked fearfully.

Vella shook her head. "I'm not sure. It was similar to..." She shook her head again. "Nevermind."

"Vella, please don't shut me out," he begged.

She looked into his eyes lovingly, stroking his cheek very lightly. "There's nothing to worry about. I'm fine now." She tried to sound reassuringly, but she wasn't sure Damon was convinced.

"Are you still up to working?" he asked with concern.

"Yes, I told you I'm fine. But since the games close early, lets meet up and go on a few rides together before it's closed for the night."

He smiled, kissing her on the lips lightly. "It's a date."

She smiled happily as she walked back to the fishbowl game to relieve Caroline of her duties.

Vella enjoyed her time running the fishbowl game. It made her feel good and put a smile on her face when children would win something, but even watching them try made her feel good. It was also amusing to watch the older kids trying to show the younger ones how to play, even though it was all about luck. It was even more amusing when Matt and Tyler showed up, both trying to outdo each other, though just in good fun. She realized she hadn't had a good laugh like that in way too long. She was happy they had stopped by and wished they had stayed longer.

Bonnie and Jeremy paid her a visit as well, but they didn't stay long. Vella understood how intoxicating new love could be, and who wanted to spend that time with others if it could be helped?

Stefan and Elena stopped by for a few minutes as well. But things were still a bit strained between the three of them, so they didn't visit for long. She was relieved anyways, she saw them enough at home.

The sun had almost set when it was time to start closing up for the night. Vella was happily anticipating going on a few rides with Damon as she began to pack up the various stuffed animals into giant clear plastic bags. She had returned to the front of the booth to retrieve a few stray ping pong balls, when she noticed a man standing there. She knew she had never met him before, yet he seemed familiar to her somehow.

"We're closing up," she said as she reached for a ping pong ball that was on the table.

The man with the dirty blonde hair and piercing gaze, reached for her hand, grabbing a hold of her wrist gently, but firmly. "I didn't come here to play games, Vella. I came here to meet you."

Vella tried to pull her hand away, but the force holding her was much stronger than she could have anticipated. She glared at the man's blue, hardened, but piercing eyes, angrily. "Klaus."

He smiled cruelly. "Beautiful _and_ smart," he said with amusement. "That could be a lethal combination, if used properly."

"Go to hell," she said, trying to break free of his grasp.

He smiled with even more amusement than before, then waited a moment until she calmed down. Letting go of her wrist, he leaned closer instead, still smiling evilly.

"That doesn't work on me," she said bravely, though she was shaking inside.

"Yes, Elijah told me I can't compel you. But you will find that I have other methods of making you do as I want."

Vella was on the verge of panic, even though to an outsider she may have looked calm, but deep down inside she felt like screaming and running away. She had tried a few spells, none of which seemed to have any effect on him, which definitely didn't help ease her feeling of panic. She was considering whether she should try to contact Damon or possibly someone else using magic, it was difficult but not impossible, but she decided against it. She didn't want any kind of commotion to happen so publicly.

Klaus had been studying her carefully. He had been around long enough to know what she was thinking, plus, he had been inside her head once, before she was able to block him, though he was able to continue giving her nightmares.

"I wouldn't bother trying to call anyone, Vella. You'll find I've only come to pay you a friendly visit. I don't have any nefarious intentions—tonight."

She glared at him intensely, defiantly. She was afraid, but she wouldn't show how frightened she really was. She had her pride, she couldn't let him get the best of her.

He smiled, almost proudly at her, while still studying her body language. He was surprised by her bravery, and he didn't doubt she knew exactly how dangerous he really was. He knew he would enjoy trying to break her spirit, or destroy her trying. He loved a good challenge.

"If you decide to give yourself to me now, I will leave everyone you care about alone and unharmed. But if you decide to defy me—well, I won't be responsible for who gets hurt."

She raised her chin in defiance, glaring into his eyes, speaking calmly, but adamantly. "I'm not going to give you the satisfaction of giving in to you. But I will tell you this. If you hurt anyone else, you will pay, I will make sure of it. I'm not some shrinking violet you can control. You'll find me rather difficult to break."

He stared back into her hardened eyes, his smile fading slightly. He was amused by her defiance, but rather surprised by her reaction. She was braver than he had first realized. And while it would make her more difficult, he would enjoy besting her even more when he did. He was too egotistical to think he could ever lose to anyone. He was sure he would win, eventually.

"If you change your mind, let me know," he said with a much more serious tone. "You have until we meet next to decide, then whatever happens, happens." He leaned closer to her, speaking so quietly she could barely hear. "I do hope you will put up a fight, it's always much more fun and entertaining."  
It happened so fast she didn't even have time to react. He slapped her hard across the face, her head snapping back, her cheek stinging with pain.

"I'll be seeing you again—very soon."

Vella placed her hand on the spot where he had slapped her, it still stung painfully. In that moment, he disappeared quickly, before she even realized he was gone. Seconds later, she was slumped against one of the poles that held the temporary booths standing, her eyes closed, fighting back tears, breathing heavily.

She had finally met Klaus. He was no longer some fictional character that instilled fear, he was a real being and he was even more frightening and cruel than she could have imagined. Images had floated through her mind after he had grasped her wrist, horrifying images. She knew what he was, and she was more scared than she ever knew was possible. For a split second she thought of giving in to him, only to save Damon and everyone else she loved, but she couldn't. She wasn't sure if it was fear, pride or perhaps stupidity, but either way, she just couldn't.

Vella began to finish cleaning up her booth, fighting back tears of rage and fear, but she managed to keep them at bay. She knew if she didn't meet Damon soon, he would worry about her. But in the back of her mind, she was more worried about him. There were two people in the world she knew she couldn't live without, one of which was Damon. The other was her best friend, whom she called her sister; Mara.

After bagging up all of the toys, and making sure all the ping pong balls had been bagged up as well, she pulled the flap in the front of the booth down, leaving through the back. Her job for the night was done, someone else would finish the rest of the clean up and taking down the booth.

As she headed towards the rides, she suddenly felt her exhaustion. She hadn't realized it when she was standing up to Klaus, but she had used a lot of energy trying to hurt him, which got her nowhere but tired. She always knew he would be difficult to defeat, but she really did think she could manage it. She was beginning to doubt she could stand up to him, and wondered if she should even try.

She was so entrenched in her thoughts, she almost walked right past Damon. He was waiting beside the ticket booth for her, smiling. She tried to return the smile, but it was dull and didn't show any brightness in her eyes. She was concentrating too much on keeping herself calm, she had no energy left to fake a smile, the kind of smile she only reserved for the man she loved.

"What's wrong?" he asked, grasping her by the arms, looking into her eyes. "Is everything okay?"

She wanted to yell, scream, cry and just completely freak out, but somehow she only managed a weak response. "No."

He was deeply worried by her reaction, his brow knitting into a furrow. He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her protectively. He could feel her shudder slightly, then she tensed up, it's not what he had expected. He was more than worried now.

"Baby, what's wrong?"

If she had been herself, she would have looked at him funny for calling her 'baby', it wasn't a term of endearment he often used, but she wasn't in her right mind at all.

"Klaus." It was all she could managed to stammer, without breaking down.

"Is he here? Did he hurt you?" he asked with panic. "I'll kill him!"

She pulled herself loose of Damon's tight grip, looking up at him, fear in her eyes. "He didn't hurt me."  
"But you're frightened. What did he do to you?"

She shook her head. "You wouldn't understand. There isn't words."

He gently cradled her head in his hands, gazing into her eyes with concern and love, but also fear. "Do you want me to take you home?"

She nodded her head in agreement, fighting back tears.

Damon quickly picked her up into his strong arms, and ran towards home so quickly, no one noticed.

**A/N: Yes, I know! It's similar to the carnival for the school in the second season. Originally it was just supposed to be a street dance, but that didn't quite work out how I wanted it to with Klaus showing up and such. I hate "borrowing" from the show, but I guess it happens. I try my best not to do that. Even if they do "borrow" from me, like the "locking sherrif forbes in the basement" thing, mine was posted well before the second season even began. But whatever. Maybe it means I also have some good ideas, maybe? Anyways, Im just joking around. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Much more with Klaus to come.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	98. Chapter 98

Chapter 98 ~ We Meet Again

Once Vella was safely home, she relaxed a little, only enough that she wasn't jumping out of her skin. She knew for the moment she was safe where she was, no vampire could get in without being invited.

She sat on the couch quietly while Damon poured them each a drink. She took the glass gratefully, with the slightest hint of a smile, and drank it down quickly. She wanted to talk and at the same time, she didn't. The things she had seen in Klaus's mind were horrifying and she had some idea what he had in store for her. But as she looked into Damon's concerned eyes, she couldn't tell him, not about that. He was already worried, she didn't want him panicked like she was. She decided she would keep that bit of information to herself. There was no need for her nightmares to become his as well.

Damon did his best to try and relax his wife. He knew she was upset and suffering and he wanted details of her run in with Klaus, but he also knew if he pushed her, she would close up and not say a word. So he did all that he could to calm her down, though it did no good. She wouldn't talk to him about Klaus, or much of anything. She just wanted to go to bed.

Vella slept through the entire night, but when she awoke in the morning she didn't feel very rested. She had made sure she wouldn't dream before she laid down to sleep, but without dreams you can never truly feel rested. However, she didn't know that. She only wanted to make sure she wouldn't have any nightmares.

Damon was rather surprised when he woke up and found himself alone. It was rare–lately–that his wife woke up before him and even more astonishing, she had slept restfully, or at least if she had been restless, it didn't keep him awake for once. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but worry and concern flooded his thoughts. He didn't know what to say–or do–to make her feel safe and secure. In fact, he knew she wasn't safe or secure, but he would never let her know his fears, she had enough to worry about without worrying about him as well.

He got out of bed and headed downstairs to search for Vella. Normally he would have showered and dressed first, but he wanted to make sure she was home and hadn't done something foolish, like she was prone to doing at times. His fears were unfounded though, as he walked into the kitchen and found her sitting at the table with a coffee and the paper.

"Morning, love," he said, kissing her lightly on the forehead.

She smiled adoringly into his eyes. "Morning, Damon."

He noticed some fear in her eyes, but he was too focused on her beautiful smile. It seemed out of place, almost surreal, but why wouldn't she be happy to see him? He shook his foolish thoughts out of his head and poured himself a coffee, then sat down beside her.

"How did you sleep?" he asked.

"No nightmares, if that's what you mean."

"I'm glad to hear it, but that's not why I asked."

Vella set the newspaper down, turning to face Damon. She looked at him seriously as she spoke. "I know you're worried about me and for once I can't blame you. But you have to realize, we're all in danger, not just me. I'm just as worried about you, as you are about me."

"I somehow doubt that."

"Really, Damon? How can you doubt that? I love you as much as you love me and I'm afraid. I'm afraid of losing you." Her voice began to quiver. "Klaus means to do us harm and he won't stop until we put an end to him. He's lived more years than we can even imagine. In those years he's done unspeakable things. Things you can't even conceive in your wildest nightmares. If we don't put a stop to him, death will seem welcoming."

Damon was taken aback by her candor, and by her admission. Now he understood why she had been so freaked out, she had glimpsed into his soul. Something no person in their right mind would want to see. He didn't know what to say, or do, so he said the first thing that popped into his mind.

"I love you."

Vella smiled, getting out of her seat quickly, but gracefully, and sat on Damon, straddling him with her legs. She grasped his face gently on either side, looked into his eyes deeply and whispered, "I love you too."

Damon pulled Vella roughly towards him, kissing her with much passion. His fear and worry driving his need, as much as his love for her. He could have taken her right there, on the chair in the kitchen, but he knew they weren't alone in the house, or he would have. He could feel that Vella felt exactly the same way, only she didn't seem to care where they were. She needed him just as much at the moment.

Vella grasped at Damon's pajama bottoms and boxers, pulling them down to his knees, then raising herself up a bit, she pulled her underwear down, she was still wearing her nightgown, and lowered herself on to him, both of them moaning loudly in pleasure as he entered her. As she raised and lowered herself on him, thrusting harder and deeper with each stroke, her hands grasping his shoulders firmly, her face buried against his chest, his in the crook of her neck. In the heat of passion, he sunk his fangs into her neck. She cried out in pain and pleasure, then grasped his hair tightly, pulling his head back forcefully. A cry escaped her lips as his fangs were ripped from her neck, she smiled in delight, staring into his eyes. But not once did she break from the rythmic thrusting, she only slowed down as she felt herself beginning to peak. She held herself off until she could feel Damon about to peak, then she released her hold, both of them peaking at the same time, both moaning loudly as ecstasy washed over them, then they were both still, except for the sound of their heavy breathing.

Vella smiled happily, then kissed Damon's lips slowly. He kissed her back, then pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Vella became uncomfortable. Then she broke free of his arms, getting up slowly and a bit stiffly, pulled her underwear up, grinning.

Damon pulled his boxers and pants back up, smiling. "Wow."

She smiled, chuckling. "Yeah, wow."

He stood up, pulling her close, gazing deeply into her eyes. "I'm glad I didn't talk you out of that," he said with a grin.

She grinned, looking almost bashful. "Me too. But I wish my neck hadn't bled all over my favorite nightgown."

"I'm sorry, love. I wasn't thinking."

She grinned, then chuckled. "Not with your brain, I know."

He rolled his eyes playfully. "I'll buy you a new one, if it makes you feel better."

"Damn right you will," she joked. "It's okay. It can't be replaced. At least it was ruined while doing something worthwhile."

"Worthwhile, huh?"

"More than worthwhile," she said and grinned. "I think we better stop playing around and go jump in the shower."

"Good idea," he said grinning back. "I'm glad I hadn't showered yet."

It was nearly noon when Vella and Damon finally returned downstairs. Stefan and Elena were there, almost as if they were waiting for them. Vella blushed slightly as she remembered what had happened in the kitchen earlier, and wondered if maybe Stefan was bothered by it. But when he didn't say anything, she thought herself foolish for thinking that way. She didn't care what he thought either way.

At first, Stefan and Elena appeared just to be spending time in the livingroom, but Vella couldn't shake the feeling they were there for another purpose. She tried not to show any interest, but she couldn't help glancing towards them every once in awhile. One look at Damon told her he was thinking along those same lines.

"Okay, I've had enough," Vella said irritably. "What's going on?"

Stefan and Elena looked at her with surprise, then turned to each other, exchanging a knowing glance. It was Elena who spoke.

"I met Klaus last night," she replied shakily.

Vella exchanged a knowing glance with Damon, then turned to Elena once again. "I did too."

The two brothers exchanged a glance this time, one with a little more meaning, they were both frightened for the women they love.

"What are we going to do?" Elena asked fearfully.

"It's difficult to plan something when we don't know what they're up to and what exactly they want, Elena," Vella replied.

"They want us."

"Well, that's not going to happen," she replied with conviction. "We're going to make sure we have plenty of white ash stakes, and carry one on us at all times. And you should carry vervain with you as well, Elena."

"And you think that's going to help?" she asked, pausing for a moment. "Is there anything else can we do?"

"Honestly, Elena—I don't know."

Elena stood up and ran into the kitchen in a hurry, Vella followed behind her moments later. She found her with her head down on the kitchen table, crying. She pulled a chair up beside her, laying a supportive arm on her back.

"I know you're scared, Elena, we all are. I really wish I could say that everything will turn out okay, but I can't make a promise like that. But I promise to do everything that is in my power to make sure no one else gets hurt."

Elena picked her head up from the table, turning to Vella, tears running down her face. "Thank you," she said, hugging her. "I know you will."

Once Elena was calm again, she walked with Vella back into the livingroom. Vella noticed they had interrupted a discussion between the brothers, when she looked at Damon, he had guilt written all over his face.

Vella looked at him angrily. "You better not be planning to do something stupid without me!" she yelled. "No one is sacrificing themselves for anyone else. Got it!"

Damon and Stefan looked at each other guiltily, but didn't reply to her accusation.

Vella stood up straight, commandingly, her hands on her hips. "If either of you try something, I swear I will go after Klaus myself. Do you understand?"

The brothers looked at each other, then at Vella and both murmered, "Fine," almost in unison.

"I'm very serious," she said glaring at them both. "Now, I'm taking Elena out for some pampering. We're going to go get manicures and pedicures. We'll meet you both at The Grill afterwards."

It wasn't a question, it was a statement of truth, and both Damon and Stefan knew better than to do anything but agree.

Vella gave each of them a dirty look, before taking Elena's hand and leading her outside to her car.

"I didn't know we had plans to get our nails done today."

Vella laughed as she got into the car. "We didn't, but we do now."

Elena smiled. "Thank you."

She returned the smile. "My pleasure."

The two ladies went to Vella's favorite salon for their manicures and pedicures. Vella never needed an appointment these days, not with her ability to compel. She didn't often use it—unless it was absolutely necessary—but this seemed like one of those times. Both herself and Elena needed some time to relax and be pampered, she knew there would soon be a time they might not be able to.

After their time at the salon, the ladies headed over to The Grill as they promised. Vella had expected Damon to at least be there waiting, if not Stefan as well, but neither were there when they arrived. Their absence made her feel incredibly uneasy, but she didn't voice her feelings to Elena. She didn't want her to worry needlessly.

While Vella's first instinct was to find a quiet booth away from everyone, she fought that urge, choosing one that was in the midst of the activity instead. She wanted to be able to see as much of the room as possible and wanted to make sure she was in plain view also, she had nothing to hide today.

After ordering some food and drinks, and receiving them, Vella began to feel even more uneasy. She had expected Damon to show up sooner and was now officially worried. She could tell by Elena's demeanor, she was worried as well, even though she didn't say anything. She figured she was afraid to give a voice to her worries, they would just make them real, instead of imagined.

Vella tried to call Damon a few times, and texted him as well, but she got no reply from either. That was when she really became concerned. She was about to get up from the table and go in search of him, when two men walked up to the table, one sitting on either side of the ladies, who were sitting across from each other.

"Hello sweethearts, we meet again," Klaus greeted them with a smile. "My brother and I have come to visit with you."

Elena looked frightened, but Vella was angry, beyond angry. She glared at Klaus, who was sitting beside her.

"Now, now, Vella, no need to get so upset. We're only here for a social call."

"I'm not in the mood to be social with you—or Elijah, at the moment," she replied through gritted teeth.

"Well, that's a shame," he said with mocking disappointment. "Because I'm already here. I guess you'll just have to be inconvienienced for a short time."

Vella wanted to wipe the sneer off his face, but she knew she couldn't try something in front of so many people. At the same time, she felt Klaus wouldn't do anything either because of the same reason. At least she desperately hoped.

"My brother was wondering if you've given any thought to his—proposition," Elijah said, speaking for the first time.

"Proposition," Vella replied, laughing sardonically. "You can't be serious?"

"I assure you, I'm _deathly_ serious," Klaus replied.

"The answer is still no," she answered defiantly. "I have no desire to spend any amount of time with you and I'm sure Elena feels the same way."

Elena had no intention of speaking, but she did sit in her seat defiantly, despite her silence.

"I admire your strength, Vella, I really do. But I must warn you. You're being rather foolish. Things would go much smoother for you if you just gave in now."

She glared into his eyes with pure malice. "I will _never_ give in, now or ever."

He smiled in amusement, feeling a perverse sense of pleasure from her hatred. He was going to enjoy breaking her more than he had ever enjoyed breaking someone before. He almost couldn't wait. But when he finally had her, he wanted it to last. He had eternity after all.

It was then that John walked in, heading immediately over to the table where his daughter and niece were sitting. He stood at the side of the booth opposite from Klaus and Elijah.

"Is there a problem here?" he asked, looking towards the two originals.

"John, how nice to see you again," Elijah greeted him.

"I wish I could say the same, Elijah," he replied regretfully. "But you're here to hurt my daughter and my niece and I'm not going to let that happen."

Klaus glared evilly at him. "How dare you speak to my brother like that! Who do you think you're talking to?"

"I know who you are," he replied in defiance. "I'm not about to let you get away with whatever it is you want."

Vella could feel the anger coming from Klaus and she was sure it was taking a great deal of self control to keep himself from springing over the table and killing John. She knew he wouldn't attempt to reveal himself in front of so many people, the old ones were always more careful about this than other vamps–but at the same time–she could practically feel him losing grip of his carefully controlled emotions.

"John," she said shortly. "I'm grateful for you coming to my defense, but I don't need your help."

There was more meaning said in her words than was spoken aloud, but John understood. He didn't want to obey, but he trusted Vella's judgement. "We'll speak later, perhaps." he said, walking over to the bar and ordering himself a drink.

Once he was gone, Vella turned back to Klaus, gazing at him once again with an intense hatred. "I want you to leave, _now!_" she said fiercely. "Both of you."

He smiled at her in disbelief. "If that's what you really want, then I will go. But I'm warning you. If I leave now, the next time we meet won't be so—pleasant."

She narrowed her eyes even more. "I'm willing to take that chance."

He studied her for a moment, then glanced over at Elena. "Are you as willing to take your chances as well, my dear?"

"Yes," was all she could say.

"Let us go, Elijah," he said with amusement. "We have some things to discuss."

Elijah grinned, obediently following his brother from the restaurant.

Vella breathed a sigh of relief once they were gone, swallowing hard. She was now shaking violently inside, while trying to keep a calm outer presence. She could see that Elena was visibly shaking, which made it easier to forget her own fear.

"Are you okay, Elena?"

"I'm not sure," she replied shakily.

Vella took her hand, gazing into her eyes. Unbeknownst to Elena, she was casting a simple calming spell. It wasn't powerful enough to make her completely calm, but enough to stop the shaking. She knew Elena had to be terribly frightened to shake outwardly, she had always know her to be brave, sometimes braver than she should be. But then, she was the same way. She knew exactly what Klaus was capable of and she was still able to stand against him. She knew she could, as long as she had a reason to live.

John came to sit at the table beside Vella, once he was sure Klaus and Elijah were gone. He didn't know if he was welcome, but he didn't care. He was too concerned about Vella and Elena.

"John, please," Vella pleaded. "Go home. Get out of Mystic Falls. I have enough people to worry about getting hurt without worrying about you as well."

"As long as you're in danger I can't leave. I won't."

"Dammit, John! Why do you have to be so stubborn?"

"That must be where you get it from," he answered with a smile.

She rolled her eyes, but didn't comment. "Stay here with Elena, please. I need to go."

"Where are you going?" he asked with worry.

"Not far. You don't need to worry."

He was about to refuse to stay, but one look from her told him he should do as she asked.

"Thank you, John," she said, then turned to Elena. "Stay here until either me or Stefan come for you. Please."

Elena nodded in agreement, then Vella practically ran through the restaurant and out the door.

Vella walked inconspicuously around the building, into the dark alleyway that ran along side it. She walked back to the farthest end and stood listening for a minute to make sure she was alone. When she was positive she wouldn't be bothered, she closed her eyes and began reciting a spell.

The spell she cast was not one she was familiar with. It was one she knew of, but had never needed to use in the past. It was the only way she knew of to get somewhere without being followed by anyone.

It only took a minute for the spell to take effect. One minute she was standing in the alley as herself, the next she wasn't. Standing in her place was a majestic hawk, bigger than most of it's breed. It took a moment for Vella to get the hang of her new body, but once she did, she soared high up into the sky, heading in the direction of where she figured Damon and Stefan might be.

Travelling high up in the sky, everything looked much more different than it did while on the ground. She found that she could see incredibly well, almost as well as she could as a vampire. She enjoyed flying so much, she knew she would have to do it again sometime, just for fun.

Once she was positive she was where she needed to be, she soared downwards on the wind currents, landing in a tree beside a small red brick house. It was difficult to see through the windows with hawk eyes, but she wasn't ready to turn back into her own body yet. Instead, she flew up to the house, landing on the ledge of a window on the second floor; Bonnie's bedroom window.

Vella was able to see Bonnie, as well as Damon and Stefan. They were seated on the floor in a small circle, none noticed the overly large hawk watching them. The window was open, though the screen wasn't. She raked her sharp talons on the cement ledge, making an eerie nails on chalkboard sound, to get their attention.

Damon and Stefan's vampire hearing was excellent, they wouldn't have missed that sound, but either did Bonnie. The sound was so irritating to all of their ears, they instinctually covered their ears for a moment, while turning towards the window.

"What the hell?" Damon said when he noticed the hawk. "Since when do hawks land on people's window ledges?"

Bonnie chuckled. "You mean you don't know who that is?"

Damon answered her with a raised eyebrow, not sure what she meant, making her laugh out loud.

Bonnie got up from the floor and went to the window, opening the window screen. Before Damon could ask why she was opening it, she had it opened and the hawk hopped in, soaring to the floor. They all watched as one moment there was a hawk standing in the bedroom and the next it was Vella.

"How did you know it was me, Bonnie?" she asked as she stretched her arms upwards.

"There was a mark on the bird's chest, the same shape as your necklace."

"Interesting," she remarked quietly. "But I'm not here to discuss turning into a bird. I want to know what the hell you two think you're up to?" she asked glaring at Stefan and Damon.

The brothers looked at each other guiltily, but neither knew how to reply.

"I warned the both of you, didn't I? Now I guess I'm going to have to warn you too, Bonnie," she said turning to her. "I don't want anyone going after Klaus on their own. You can't even imagine the things he's capable of. If I have to, I will stop any of you."

"What are you saying, Vella?" Bonnie asked.

"I thought I was clear. I will put a stop to anyone who makes plans to go after Klaus without me."

"Is that a threat?"

"Damn right it is. And you know I can follow through with it too."

"You think so, huh?" Bonnie said glaring dangerously.

"Ladies," Stefan interrupted. "Please..."

Vella glared at him. "Shut up, Stefan," she barked. "This is none of your business."

Suddenly the room exploded with electricity, the hair on everyone's body was standing up on end. Damon and Stefan found they couldn't move, and Bonnie was pushed up against the wall unable to move.

"I told you before I'm stronger than I used to be, but you didn't believe me so I had to show you." She waved her hand and everyone in the room could move again. "I just wanted to make my point clear. Whatever we do to fight Klaus, we have to do it together. If you all can't agree, then I will go after him myself. If anyone is strong enough to stop him, it's me."

Damon was about to say something, but Bonnie beat him to it. "You might be more powerful, but you know you have a weakness."

She snorted. "We all do, Bonnie. That's the problem. We're stronger together than we are individually."

No one in the room could deny she was wrong–they knew she was right–but no one wanted to admit it. Each of them had a reason of their own.

Stefan would do anything to keep Elena safe, but he also cared about Vella. He didn't want either of them hurt. He had hoped Bonnie would be able to help so neither of them would have to be involved.

Damon loved Vella so much, it made him ready to sacrifice anyone else so she didn't have to be hurt, even Elena. Even though he had loved her once very much, he was sure he would sacrifice her if it meant Vella would be unharmed.

Bonnie wanted her best friend, Elena, safe, but also the town. She felt just as protective of the town as she did her best friend. That was her motivation.

Vella had stood silently pensieve, watching everyone in the room. She knew they all meant well, but she also knew they didn't really understand what they were up against. She had to admit, she didn't either, but she had a better idea than the rest of them did.

"Stefan, you need to go pick Elena up at The Grill. Klaus and Elijah showed up while we were there and she's shaken. I didn't want her to attempt to go home alone." Stefan looked like he was about to ask her something, so she guessed at what she figured he was going to say. "I left her with John. He said he'd stay with her until you showed up to escort her home."

"Thank you," he replied gratefully. He nodded to Bonnie, then left the room.

"Since you brought your car, I guess you'll be driving home," Vella said to Damon. "I'll follow you home—In case you have the urge to do something stupid before making it there."

Damon was about to say something, but he was too late. Vella changed into the form of a hawk once again and was out the window before he even had a chance. He thanked Bonnie for her help and advice, then left on his way home.

**A/N: Wasn't terribly exciting but it's building, right? Tell me what you think.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	99. Chapter 99

Chapter 99 ~ Only A Matter Of Time

Vella soared on the wind currents all the way home. She really enjoyed travelling this way and found it was almost effortless. She had followed Damon the entire way, making sure he went straight home. Once she was positive he wouldn't make any detours, she soared down slowly to the ground, landing in the backyard. She turned back into herself, then walked in the back door, then into the livingroom to await Damon's arrival.

When Damon arrived home, he headed straight into the livingroom to look for his wife. He found her sitting on the couch with a glass of scotch in her hand. He wondered what kind of mood she was in, but was too afraid to open his mouth and find out. He decided on pouring himself a drink as well and sitting down beside her, in hopes she would say something first.

Many minutes passed by before Vella decided to talk. She was feeling many mixed emotions after everything that had happened during the day and she wasn't sure which was the proper emotion. At the last minute she chose cool, calm and collected.

"Why did you go and see Bonnie after I asked you not to do anything?"

Damon shook his head, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know."

"Yes, you do, Damon. Don't lie to me and don't lie to yourself." She shook her head, speaking softly. "I know you love me, Damon, and I love you too, but we're not going to get anywhere this way."

"You're right. But I'm not going to apologize for loving you too much."

Vella smiled, though she was still slightly irritated. He was trying to distract her from her anger–which he succeeded in doing–but she didn't want to let him think he'd won so easily.

"Dammit, Damon! How do I make you understand?" she said with frustration as she stood up.

"Make me understand what?"

"How much you're hurting me," she replied looking sadly. "I don't want to fight with you, not now. We need to spend whatever time we have left together without fighting."

"Whatever time we have left together!" he exclaimed. "Are you kidding me? You've already given up, haven't you?"

"No!" she yelled. "I'm just trying to be a realist. The reality is, Klaus is bad news, a real dangerous son of a bitch. If we underestimate him, we're done for sure."

Damon stood up, grabbing his wife by the arms roughly, shaking her slightly. "Don't you dare give up! Do you hear me?"

Vella looked into his eyes. "I haven't given up, not by a long shot. But that doesn't mean I'm not trying to be prepared for anything. Anything could happen and I don't want any regrets."

"I'm sorry, love. I wanted to spare you from all of this. I would do anything to keep you safe."

"I know, and that's the problem," she said sadly. "You're all too willing to do something, anything, and you're not thinking of the consequences."

He chuckled ironically. "That's funny, cause that's usually your role, isn't it?"

"Yeah..."

Damon pulled her into a tight embrace, holding her securely, afraid to let go. He felt helpless and didn't know how to handle it. He wasn't afraid of death, but he was afraid of being alone. He had spent too many wasted years alone and miserable, keeping people away from him, in search of a woman he thought he had loved more than anything, only to find out she wanted nothing to do with him. Now he had found true love in Vella, and he was afraid he was going to lose her.

Vella held Damon as tightly as he held her. She wasn't afraid of death either, but she was afraid of what might happen to Damon if she didn't survive. She wasn't as worried about herself. She had been alone for so many years, she was sure she could do it again if she had to. She also knew she wouldn't allow herself to live long if something did happen to him. But she swore if something did happen to him, she would seek revenge on the one who killed him and they would wish they had never met her.

Vella and Damon decided to spend the rest of the day at home, spending time with each other. Other than a few phone calls to a few different people, and a short conversation with Stefan and Elena, that's exactly what they did. They kept to themselves, enjoying each other's company as if no one else in the world existed but themselves.

In the middle of the night, Vella woke up from a dead sleep, apparently for no reason. She glanced around the room slowly, listening for sounds, but she heard none. She climbed out of bed carefully, so as not to wake Damon, and walked down the hallway to the stairs. She thought she could see light coming from the livingroom, but it was so pale and diffused, she wasn't sure if it was light, or if she was seeing things.

She walked slowly down the stairs, pausing at the bottom, before heading into the livingroom. When she walked in, she realized what the pale light was, it was the ghostly apparition of her mother.

"Mom!"

The ghostly figure of her mother smiled. "My dear daughter. I'm glad to see you, I just wish it was under better circumstances."

"Why are you here?"

"To warn you. Klaus never travels without a handful of witches. Separately, they may not be as powerful as you, but together—they are very powerful. You need to watch out for them."

"Is there anything else I should know?"

"Keep your friend, Elena, safe. He wants to play with her and ultimately kill her, just for fun. His true intention is to bring back Katherine. That's why he needs you."

"How can he bring her back? Why me?"

"He can raise her from the dead, but it's no easy feat. He needs a few things to do it, and he already has one of them."

"What's that?"

"He knows where she died."

"What else does he need?"

Her mother hesitated, looking at her daughter sadly. "He needs the blood of the one who was responsible for her death."

"Damon!" she exclaimed in fear. "No, he can't have his blood. I won't allow it."

"That's right, Vella. You can't allow that to happen."

"Wait. You said a few things, is there more?"

"He needs witches of course, but he's afraid his aren't up to the task. I'm afraid that's what he wants you for."

"Well that's out of the question. There's no way in hell I would bring her back."

"I hope so, my dear. Bringing people back from the dead, especially vampires, is not natural."

"What about me? John brought me back to life."

"That was a little different. You hadn't passed on to the afterlife yet. Raising someone who's been to the otherside—well, it could be more than a little dangerous."

The thought of bringing Katherine back to life made Vella's skin crawl. After how she had been tortured by her, she was glad she was dead. But if Klaus succeeded in raising Katherine—well, she hated to think what might happen.  
"I have to go now, Vella. It's been difficult to visit you this time. Those witches Klaus keeps as company can sense me, they've been trying to stop me for days now. The only bit of advice you need before I go is, be careful, and read up. One can never have too much knowledge."

"I love you, mom."

"I love you, too."

In an instant, the ghostly image of her mother vanished, leaving only a feeling of maternal love.

Vella felt exhausted, so instead of heading back upstairs to bed, she curled up on the couch and was fast asleep as soon as she'd found a comfortable position to lay in. She was awakened a few hours later by the sound of someone calling her name frantically.

"Damon?" she mumbled groggily.

Damon came flying down the stairs and into the livingroom so quickly, she thought he had magically appeared.

"You had me so worried," he said with relief as he sat down on the couch beside her.

"I'm so sorry, Damon. I came down here in the middle of the night and I was too tired to go back upstairs."

He looked at her oddly. "You were too tired to come back upstairs?"

Vella explained what had happened with her mother, but didn't mention any details. She knew if she told him what part he had to play to raise Katherine, he might try to offer himself up freely just to save her, and she wasn't going to let that happen. She couldn't let it happen.

After coffee, breakfast and a shower, Vella got dressed, then pulled out her mother's grimoires. The one she was really interested in was her great grandmother's. She knew she had seen some interesting spells in there, she just hated having to translate some of them. She had been the last witch in her line to be able to write in the ancient celtic druid language, none of the witches in her family since had been taught, or had learned on their own. Vella was the first to even attempt to fully translate them.

Since she didn't have the help of Alaric this time, Vella had to research the translations on her own. She knew that it would have caused problems if he had been around, so she was glad he was still away on his honeymoon.

She spent the better half of the day researching and translating a couple of spells. It would have taken her longer if she hadn't already had practice at translating the ancient language. She had left Damon to do his own thing–which she had regretted as soon as she suggested it–but she knew if he was around, she would probably manage to be too distracted to do what she needed to do. It was boring enough without a distraction.

Vella knew better than to watch the clock while she was working, or she would never get anything done. She barely noticed when nightfall came, until she had to turn on a lamp to be able to see better, then she realized it was late and wondered where everyone was. She tried not to worry, but it nagged at her mind until she had to do something.

Vella picked up her phone and texted just about everyone in town; Damon, Stefan, Elena, Jeremy, Bonnie, Caroline, Matt, and Tyler. While she didn't expect an immediate response from all of them, she had expected a response from at least one of them. But after ten minutes passed by and no one replied, she decided to go out to search for Damon.

The instant she stepped outside, Vella knew she'd made a mistake. She felt magical energy being directed at her, but she'd been prepared for anything, so she was able to block it. She just wasn't sure how long she could keep that up for. She took off at her fastest speed, heading towards town. She knew the witches wouldn't be able to follow her. Before she made it through the forest that lay between the boarding house and the town line, she stopped short.

"Hello, Vella," greeted Elijah from the shadows of the trees. "Did you really think you'd get away that easily?"

Vella smirked defiantly. "Did you think it would be this easy to catch me?" She could tell Elijah was glaring at her without even looking, she could feel his eyes piercing her from the darkness.

He stepped out of the shadows, a look of malice and amusement etched on his face. She sensed movement beyond the shadows behind him, but she'd already assumed he wouldn't be alone.

"Your friends shouldn't have underestimated us, my dear," he grinned malevolently. "Things didn't have to be this way."

Vella didn't know what to say, she was upset and at a loss for words. She felt like her whole world was crumbling down around her and she didn't have the strength, or ability, to stop it. She didn't want to give him the upper hand, but she looked at Elijah with a defeated look. She wasn't quite ready to give in, but she wasn't far from it.

"I can feel your sense of loss and it feels good," he said smirking. "I guess you aren't as strong as you thought you were."

Vella had never liked being told what she might be, or how she felt. As Elijah taunted her, she began to feel stronger, unknowingly pulling in magical energy from everywhere around her. Without a single thought, she sent the force hurtling towards him, the force sending him flying backwards so forcefully, he knocked over the tree he had slammed into.

Elijah stood up, dazed for a moment. He shook his head once quickly, brushing himself of the dirt and leaves that had fallen on him, then glared at Vella with anger and hatred.

"Did you think I would make it that easy for you?" she taunted.

With one flick of his hand, he signaled the vampires hiding in the shadows to attack. Vella had expected it, so she wasn't surprised, but she was surprised by how many there were; ten.

So many things went racing through her mind in the split second she had to react. She didn't know if she should try to escape, or fight. She didn't think she could take down ten vampires and Elijah, but she also wasn't sure if she could escape. Finally, she had made a decision; she would fight, or die trying.

Using her fear and worry, she drew in more mystical energy and sent it flying, the whole 360 degrees around her. It made the vamps back up, but it didn't seem to hurt any of them. She knew she was going to have to do better than that.

After a quick second, she did something she knew would work, she just wasn't sure how long she could hold it for. She sent all ten vamps to the ground, clutching at their heads in agony. It was the only chance she knew she would have.

Pulling out a stake from her pocket, she ran to the closest vamps and staked them through the heart. She managed to dispatch three of them, before the others began to slowly fight against her spell.

She wasn't as worried about the seven left, as she cast the spell again, just slightly differently, making them clutch their heads once again in pain. As quickly as she could, she staked five more of them, the remaining two managing to fight their way to their feet. She glared at them hungrily, hoping to have a real fight with them. She was completely incensed by this time and wanted to rip them apart with her bare hands.

As she grappled with one vamp, throwing him into the other one, landing in a heap on the ground, she noticed that Elijah had stood in the shadows the whole time, watching, waiting. She turned her thoughts back to the remaining vamps, gracefully staking one, then turning quickly to stake the other, it was almost like a well choreographed dance.

Elijah had watched with amusement as she dispatched all the vampires he had sent after her. He was really quite impressed with Vella, more than he would let on. He had actually underestimated her, just as she had done, but it didn't matter. This time he was only a distraction meant to keep her busy. If he had really wanted to harm her, he would have.

The two of them stood facing each other across the field of dead vampires, both standing proudly, defiantly and in Vella's case, exhausted. She would never let it show, but she was. She had never held off so many vampires at once and even she was surprised she had managed it with not so much as a cut, or even a nose bleed. She twirled the white ash stake around in her hand, waiting. Waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Elijah smiled in amusement as she watched, waiting for him to make a move. He was watching too. He was watching her body language and the twirling of the stake. What he didn't know, was she was waiting for him to make a move, she had a plan. He may have lived a very long time, but actions could always be told in the eyes.

He smiled, then turned to leave, but somehow, Vella ended up behind him before he noticed. She stabbed the stake into Elijah's back, trying to pierce his heart, but she missed by a fraction of an inch.

Vella tried pulling the stake out, but Elijah was enraged, twisting and turning, trying to pull it out of his back himself, knocking her to the side in the process. She stood up again, just as he was able to pull the stake out, diving at him. She was fast enough to get a hold of it, but he didn't let it slip from his grip. She stood facing him, trying to take the stake from him, wild eyed and afraid, but he wouldn't let it go. She pushed him backwards in desperation and he tripped over one of the dead vampires, falling down to his side, impaling himself with the stake through his torso, then laid still.

Vella was hunched over, breathing heavily. She saw where the stake had struck and he was lying still, but she didn't believe he was dead. She glanced away for only a moment, giving him the opportunity to grab her by the ankle. Frightened, she jumped backwards, tripping, landing on her behind.

Elijah was still grasping her ankle as strongly as he could, pulling her closer. Vella kicked at him with her free leg, until he lost his grip. She scrambled to her feet as quickly as she could, keeping an eye on him at all times. He had taken the stake out of his torso, placing it down beside where he was sitting on the ground. Glaring at her dangerously, he tried to stand up, stake in hand, but he stumbled, his feet faltering. She wasn't going to give him the chance to get up properly as she began to run.

Vella ran as quick as she could away from Elijah. She didn't have a destination in mind, but she knew where she couldn't go, the boarding house. She was completely exhausted, but somehow she was able to keep running, and running, and running, until she was somewhere she knew would be safe, her cabin.

Vella had forgotten her purse in haste, she had only grabbed her phone when she had left the boarding house, so she had to find the hidden key to her cabin. She hadn't needed to use it in so long, she had forgotten where it was. She searched frantically, involuntary tears falling from her eyes as she scrambled around searching under the stones in the garden, until she found the one that held the key. She unlocked the door, her hands shaking violently, nearly dropping the key. But once she was inside, she sat on the couch, closed her eyes and began breathing deeply, trying to relax her mind.

Vella was astonished she had made it out of her confrontation with Elijah with no injuries, but as she stopped to think about it, maybe that was all part of his plan. Maybe he was only a distraction, to keep her away from the real danger. She still had no idea why no one had texted her back.

As she sat on the couch with her eyes closed, she began to imagine all kinds of awful things. She knew she was safe, her protection spells had seen to that, but she needed to know what was happening with everyone else, before she lost her mind.

She tried once again to contact everyone she knew was in danger, even trying her father; John, but no one answered. Her panic turned into full blown fear and anxiety, which she couldn't fight any longer. She laid down on the couch, curled up with one of the throw pillows and cried, a loud, strangling cry. In moments it was replaced by sobbing and a wave of fresh tears. She wasn't aware of when it happened, but at some point she passed out from pure exhaustion.

Vella woke with a start. She wasn't sure if it had been a noise, or maybe just intuition that woke her up, but she was now wide awake.

She looked around, confused at first, but once realization of where she was and what had last happened set in, she felt a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach. She wasn't sure at first how long she had been asleep, but looking at her watch it seemed she had only slept a couple of hours. She wasn't quite sure of the exact time though, she hadn't really been paying attention to the time when she had arrived at the cabin. Right now it was almost midnight.

She found her phone in the darkness and realized what had woke her up, she'd missed a text message. She retrieved the message, reading it twice to make sure she comprehended what it said. It was from Damon.

_Elena is missing, no one can find her. Where the hell are you?_

Vella cringed, holding back tears. This had to be the reason Elijah had distracted her, so Klaus could snatch Elena without her interference. Now she felt guilty for not being there for her cousin when she needed her most of all. She pocketed her phone, locked the door and headed back to the boarding house at a quick pace. She wasn't looking forward to an admonishment, but she felt she deserved it for playing into Elijah's games.

**A/N: Falling for the distraction, one of the oldest tricks in the book. Maybe Klaus was the one who invented them, he is old enough. lol. Sorry, i know, bad, bad joke. So now Elena's missing and Damon's text seemed kind of standoffish, didn't it? What do you think?**

**Thanks for reading!**


	100. Chapter 100

Chapter 100 ~ Mind Games

As Vella ran back to the boarding house, she was careful to pay attention to her surroundings, however she didn't sense anything out of the ordinary the entire run home. She wasn't really surprised though, it was probably what Klaus and Elijah had planned all along. She could kick herself for falling for it, but what good would that have done. She needed to deal with it and move on. There were much more important things to deal with at the moment.

She walked into the house and headed straight into the livingroom, where the sad faces of those assembled stared at her with shock. She looked upon Damon's sorrowful eyes and felt a sting of jealousy for a moment, then pushed it out of her head. Of course he would be upset over Elena's disappearance, just as everyone who cared about her would.

"Where have you been?" Damon asked, sounding much more angry than he'd wanted to sound. He'd been incredibly worried.

"It doesn't matter," she replied, shaking her head. "I wanna know what's been going on."

"If you cared you would have been here," Stefan said harshly.

She narrowed her eyes at him, trying to speak calmly. "How dare you question how much I care about her!"

He stood up angrily, glaring. "Then where were you?"

She returned his glare just as fiercely. "What do you care?"

Damon stepped between the two, holding onto Vella firmly. "What's gotten in to you?"

She pulled herself from his grip, glaring. "No one feels the need to contact me, yet I'm the bad guy? What the hell is that all about?" She watched everyone in the room squirming uncomfortably, then turned around angrily. "I may be a witch but I'm not exactly psychic," she mumbled as she ran up to her bedroom.

_'It's all your fault,' whispered a mysterious voice in her head._

Vella looked around for a moment, startled, then sat on the bed with her head in her hands, silent tears began falling slowly from her eyes, even as she fought to keep them back. She was feeling incredibly guilty, and the voice in her head kept repeating over and over, telling her it was all her fault.

A few minutes later, Vella heard a rapping on her open door. She wiped the remaining tears from her face, turning to see who was standing at the door. It was John.

"May I come in?" he asked gently.

She watched him pensively for a few moments, before shaking her head in agreement.

John walked in the room, sitting down beside her on the bed. He reached his hand out slowly, hesitantly, but when she didn't pull away, he took her hand in his, squeezing it supportively.

"I hope you don't blame them for being upset, everyone is just on edge and worried."

She glanced at him quickly, then shifted her gaze away, she couldn't bare to look at him straight in the eye. "I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. I understand."

He studied her for a moment, trying to gauge her mood, but she was hiding it pretty carefully. "Why don't you tell me what happened to you tonight?"

"Why does it matter, John?" she snapped. "Elena's missing, who cares about me."

"Vella!" he said with surprise. "We all care about you."

She shook her head. "Well maybe I don't deserve that."

"Why would you say such a thing?"

"Because I'm an idiot!" she shrieked loudly. "I'm a complete and utter moron! It's my fault she's missing, because I was stupid!"

John looked at her with concern, squeezing her hand to get her attention. "You are not stupid. Why would you think that you are?"

Vella wanted nothing more than to calm down, but it was nearly impossible while the voice in her head kept whispering to her. It didn't matter what John thought, or anyone else for that matter, she knew the truth, it was her fault.

"When it got dark and no one was home, I got worried." She paused for a moment, taking out her phone to show him. "I texted everyone, but no one replied. I waited for a bit, then I left the house to see if I could find someone. I was worried." She stopped speaking, fighting back tears. She felt like she was making excuses and she didn't like it. "When I left the house, there were witches around, so I took off running towards town. I got ambushed by Elijah and ten vampires." John opened his eyes widely in shock, but he didn't interrupt. He didn't want her to stop speaking. "It was all a distraction so they could take Elena. I should have figured it out, but I was stupid."

When she didn't say anything for a minute, John spoke up. "What happened to the vampires?"

She narrowed her eyes in confusion for a second, before she understood the question. "I killed them."

"All ten?"

"Yeah," she replied absentmindedly. "I managed to stake Elijah too, but I missed his heart."

John took both hands in his and shook her roughly once. "How were you supposed to know it was a distraction, Vella? Ten vampires and Elijah—are you sure he wasn't convinced he could take you too?"

She squinted her eyes in thought, then shook her head. "No, I don't think that was his goal."

He smiled in disbelief, shaking his head. "Do you even hear yourself? You went up against Elijah and ten vampires and you made it away, yet somehow you think it was only a distraction?"

She understood how proposterous it sounded, but the ten vampires hadn't been a match for her, not in her panicked state. He had almost changed her mind, then the voice in her mind spoke again, telling her it was her fault, she should have known. She wrenched her hands away quickly, suddenly feeling unworthy of his concern.

"Thanks for trying, John," she said as a final note.

John took the hint, she didn't want to speak any longer, so he immediately stood up and began to walk out of the room, but he turned to her before he walked out. "It's not your fault, Vella. Please don't feel guilty. That's what Klaus wants." He waited a moment to see if she would respond, but when she didn't, he walked downstairs.

Vella waited until he was gone before moving. She didn't care what he said, she knew it was her fault, the voices told her so. She should have given in to Klaus when she had the chance, convince him to leave Elena alone, now she had no clue what was going to happen to her. She couldn't let it go on. She listened for a moment, slipping out of her room stealthily, and headed down the hallway. When she reached the farthest room, she opened the door as quietly as she could, slipping in quickly, and closed the door behind her. She unlatched the window, pulled out the screen, then transformed into a hawk and flew off into the night.

John walked back downstairs into the livingroom looking gravely. He knew Vella was in a worse state than she was letting on and he was worried. He sat down on one of the chairs, wondering how long it would be before someone asked him how his conversation had went, but everyone seemed to be too wrapped up in their own conversations. He began to feel a little annoyed, and angry at Damon. Why couldn't he see that his wife was in pain? He wanted to challenge him, but he didn't know if he should. Maybe he could try to catch him alone, but he was unsure. No one really trusted him or even cared if he was there. He wasn't even sure if anyone would listen to him.

"It's not her fault," John uttered out of the blue to no one in particular a few minutes later.

Everyone turned to look at John, but no one seemed to know what to say. Most of them could care less what John had to say. But Damon was irritated that he even had an opinion about anything. He would love nothing more than to kill him many times over.

"No one said this is her fault," Damon challenged.

John glared at him, narrowing his eyes. "Then why was I the one that had to talk to her. You're her husband, why didn't you see what was wrong with her?"

He was barely able to get the words out of his mouth before Damon dashed towards him, yanking him from his seat by his shirt collar, glowering. "You've tried to kill her! How dare you even speak about her!"

"Damon!" Stefan warned, but he'd already begun to let go of his collar.

"She thinks this is her fault," John said, still glaring angrily. "You don't even know what happened to her tonight. All you give a damn about is Elena."

Instantly, Damon's face changed to an ashen gray and his fangs descended. Stefan had anticipated his actions and jumped between the two men before it came to blows.

Damon calmed himself down, but still glowered angrily at John, daring him to try something. John didn't back down, but he wasn't feeling suicidal either. Both men stared at each other, while they backed up into their seats once again.

When Stefan was positive everyone was calm, he looked over at John, enquiring about Vella.

John took a couple of calming breaths before speaking, making sure he was glancing back and forth between the brothers. "When it got dark she became worried, so she tried to contact everyone. When she didn't hear from anyone, she left the house to find out what was going on. There were witches waiting outside for her, so she ran towards town." He paused for a second, hoping to add emphasis to the next part of the story. "When she got to the forest just outside of town she was ambushed by Elijah and ten vampires." There was a shocked mumbling around the room, but he was staring at Damon, hoping to see a reaction, but he seemed to be keeping his emotions to himself. "I don't know how she did it, but I'm surprised she got away."

Almost simultaneously, everyone began to feel ashamed for blaming Vella for Elena's disappearance. They all should have known she would never intentionally do anything to cause harm to anyone, especially her cousin. No one was as ashamed as Damon. He had been so worried about Elena, that he had completely forgotten his wife's feelings.

Damon excused himself and headed upstairs to the bedroom he shared with his wife. When he reached the room, he found it empty. He began to feel sick to his stomach as he searched around the house frantically, hoping she had only gone to be alone, but deep down, he knew she had left the house. He just couldn't admit it, until he found the open window in one of the bedrooms.

Damon ran down the stairs so quickly he nearly flew down them. He ran into the livingroom and picked up his phone before turning to leave.

"Stop him, Stefan!" John yelled quickly.

Stefan was about to tackle him, but suddenly Damon was on the ground clutching at his head in pain, trying to stifle his screams. When Bonnie had thought he was calm, and Stefan was nearby, she stopped causing him pain.

Damon stood up slowly, glaring at Bonnie, watching his brother from the corner of his eye. "What the hell was that about?"

"You can't go after her," John replied before anyone else could. "Don't you see, this is what Klaus wants, to separate everyone."

"I can't let anything happen to her," he said near panic. "I have to go after her."

"He's right," Stefan said, while everyone else in the room nodded in agreement. "You need to stay here." Damon tried to say something but Stefan interrupted. "All we can do now is wait, Damon."

Damon growled angrily in frustration, then turned his back on everyone, pouring himself a drink. He downed it quickly then whipped the glass against the far wall, making everyone in the room jump. He turned around to face them again, speaking to no one in particular. "If something happens to her, so help me God, Klaus will pay."

Vella soared majestically above the little town of Mystic Falls, carried by wind currents and the gentle movements of her wings and body. She felt free, the wind whipping through her feathers, far above everyone and everything. It would be so easy for her to get lost in the instincts of the hawk body she inhabited, but she couldn't allow that, she had something she had to do, but she found it was so easy to forget everything, even that little voice.

It only took a few minutes to find her target, Klaus. With a mixture of magic and instinct, she flew over an old farmhouse just past the southside of town. She didn't exactly see Klaus, but she could feel him. His witches were talented, but they had no idea they needed to worry about something as inconspicuous as a hawk. She soared steadily lower, until she was able to pick up sounds from inside the house.

She'd found where she needed to go now, but she had no idea what to do now. She hadn't thought about the actual confrontation or how she was going to accomplish it, but she didn't have time to think, in fact, if she was honest with herself, she didn't really care.

Before she realized, she was diving almost straight down towards the ground, at the last minute, she pulled back, stretched her wings out and landed only twenty feet away from the front door of the farmhouse, changing back into her own form as soon as her feet touched solid ground.

"Klaus!" she yelled as loud as she could. "Come out here and face me!"

Vella's anger began to climb as she heard sniggering coming from inside. But then she heard someone hush them all. She stood there for a short time waiting bravely, though her bravery was waning slowly as she continued to wait. She had been expecting some form of attack, either magical or otherwise, but as Klaus stepped outside alone, she began to worry more.

"Good evening, Vella," he greeted her with a malevolent smile. "What brings you here so late?"

"You know exactly why I'm here," she replied trying to keep herself from shaking. "Where's Elena?"

He grinned, eyeing her up and down while he walked in a circle around her, not answering until he was once again standing in front of her. "She's with me now. There's no need to worry about her any longer."

"You can't have her!" she yelled, trying to control the rage building inside.

He laughed in amusement. "Are you willing to take her place?"

"Yes," she replied without hesitation.

He eyed her shrewdly, thinking for a moment, then smiled coldly. "You'll have your chance soon enough."

It was almost completely unconcious as she began to draw in mystical energy, but Klaus wasn't unprepared, one of his witches came running out of the house, hitting her before she realized it, knocking her backwards a few feet, falling with a thud. She jumped up almost as soon as she hit the ground, glowering angrily. "It'll take more than that to take me down!"

Klaus smiled. "Are you really foolish enough to think you can take me on all alone?"

"You have no idea what I'm capable of."

He laughed derisively. "Are you really that arrogant?"

Vella grinned slightly. "You have no idea."

He studied her once again. He wasn't quite sure, but he thought he had underestimated her. He would have to rethink his plans. He wasn't worried, but he didn't like to take any unnecessary risks either.

He turned towards the farmhouse, making a gesture with his hands. A few moments later, Elijah appeared, holding onto Elena's arm forcefully.

"As you can see, Elena is fine—for the moment. As long as you and the rest of your merry band behave themselves, she will continue to be fine."

She looked despairingly into her cousin's eyes, fighting back tears. She did her best not to show the fear she was feeling in her eyes. "I'm going to do what I can to save you, Elena," she yelled.

Elena nodded her head in response, a single tear rolling down her face, angering Vella.

"How touching," Klaus taunted. He was enjoying the pain he was causing immensly. He knew how he was going to break Vella, and this was only a small part of it. He wasn't really interested in Elena, other than she looked remarkably like Katherine. She wasn't anything like Katherine and that's who he wanted. He was going to make Damon pay for killing her.

"If you want to get out of here tonight, I suggest you leave now. My patience is wearing thin."

She didn't want to leave, but she knew if she had a chance in hell to rescue Elena, she would need help. She glanced at Elena, a promise in her eyes, and mouthed, '_I'll be back. I promise_,' then turned back to Klaus, glaring angrily. "This isn't over, Klaus. You won't get away with this."

He grinned in amusement, as Vella turned on her heel, running back towards the boarding house. He couldn't remember the last time he had been so entertained. He was determined to enjoy it for as long as he could.

Vella could have changed forms again, it would have been quicker, and more enjoyable, but she wasn't going to take a chance using magic again. Even though she had barely used any during her confrontation with Klaus, she was still exhausted from her run in with Elijah earlier. The nap she had at the cabin had helped, but not as much as she had thought. She'd been running mostly on adrenaline and she was starting to come down from the high. All she wanted to do was climb into bed and sleep.

When she arrived home, she was surprised to see everyone in the livingroom still wide awake. They looked at her with a mixture of relief and concern, but she didn't really care about any of them right now.

"Klaus has Elena," she announced, then turned to walk away.

"Wait!" Stefan called. "Did you see her?"

Vella turned around to face Stefan. "I saw her. I think she'll be safe for now."

"You saw her?" he asked incredulously. "How did you get away?"

She was too tired to deal with any questions or any more emotion of any kind. She was drained, all she wanted to do was collapse on her bed. She glared at him in annoyance. "I offered myself for her, but he wouldn't take me, not now. I did what I could."

"I never said you didn't," he said flustered. "I just..." He stopped, unsure what he had been going to say.

"Just go to bed, all of you," she replied, then without another word, she ran upstairs, took her shirt and pants off, climbed under the covers on her side of the bed and closed her eyes tightly. She was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillows.

Several hours later, Vella woke up suddenly, bolting upright to a sitting position. She had been having a nightmare, but she couldn't quite remember at the moment. She was sitting still trying to remember, when she felt a hand on her back.

"What's wrong?" mumbled Damon sleepily.

She pulled away from his hand, moving towards the edge of the bed. "Nothing. Go back to sleep," she replied shortly.

She heard him sigh deeply in response as he sat up in bed. "Are you angry with me?"

"No, but I'm going to be if you don't go back to sleep."

He sighed again, then in one quick fluid movement, he grabbed his wife from behind, threw her to the bed, got on top of her, straddling her, holding her down by the wrists. He stared deep into her eyes while she struggled to break out of his grip.

"Get off of me!" she warned him, while trying to break free of his grip.

"Not until you agree to talk to me," he replied with concern.

She stared into his eyes defiantly for a moment, before giving in. She wasn't really angry with him, just irritated. If only the little voice in her head would stop talking to her, she could think straight. She stopped struggling then averted her gaze.

"Are you going to listen to me now?

She nodded her head in agreement.

"Good," he replied. He pulled himself off of his wife, sitting beside her.

Vella sat up facing Damon, looking irritated. "Whatever it is you have to say, say it now so I can go back to sleep."

"I'm sorry about earlier," he said quietly. "I was upset about Elena and I wasn't thinking."

Jealousy washed over her again, but she pushed it away once again. She wasn't sure why she was feeling that way, she never had before, and it wasn't like Damon had ever given her a reason to doubt him. She figured the best thing was to nod and let him speak.

He reached out his hand, taking hers and squeezing it. "Why did you go after Klaus all alone? You were the one who said we needed to work together."

"Don't you see, Damon. This is all my fault. Klaus doesn't want Elena, he wants me. He's just trying to make us suffer."

"How can you be so sure what he wants?"

"Because he told me!" she said exasperated. "I saw it in his eyes."

"Vella, love," he said gently. "He's messing with your head. He wants you to feel guilty."

"And how do you know that?"

"I don't know for sure, but either do you," he said, taking her other hand as well. "He's been playing games with us all along. No one truly knows what he wants, not for sure."

She shook her head as if to agree with him, but she did know what Klaus wanted most of all, Katherine. She wanted to tell him more than anything, but she needed to keep that secret to herself.

"I know," she lied. "All I want to do is sleep right now. Can we talk more in the morning?"

He smiled lovingly, brushing her cheek with his hand lightly. "Of course."

She returned his smile, then took her hands away gently and laid down on her side facing the outside of the bed. She felt Damon lay down behind her, cuddling up and wrapped his arm around her waist. As soon as he stopped moving, she fell asleep.

**A/N: Holy cow i'm in triple digits for chapters. How did that happen? lol. So what do you think Klaus is really up to? Do you think he really wants Katherine or is there more to it? What do you think Klaus really wants with Elena? ;)**

**Thanks everyone for reading! If it wasn't for you, I'd probably have stopped writing long ago.**


	101. Chapter 101

Chapter 101 ~ Unexpected Complication

Vella was surprised to find Damon waiting for her when she woke up in the morning. She had slept until late morning and for once she felt like she had slept. He was sitting at the foot of the bed with a look that she couldn't decipher. She looked at him curiously as she sat up in bed.

"Is something going on?"

"No," he replied. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm just surprised to find you waiting for me to wake up."

He averted his eyes for a moment, then squirmed a bit, before looking into her eyes once again. "I was worried," he explained. "You slept so restfully I was afraid something had happened to you."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You mean to say, you're upset because Elena is with Klaus and I managed to sleep well for the first time in a long time?"

"I never said any such thing. Why do you keep doing this?" he asked frustrated. "Turning everything I say into some kind of argument?"

"Because it sounded like you were suspicious."

"Of what?" he asked exasperatedly. "Because I'm worried about your state of mind?"

She gazed deep into his eyes, finding the truth, he was genuinely concerned about her. She was overcome by a deep feeling of shame. "I'm sorry," she uttered, turning away from him.

Damon stood up, walking over to Vella and sat down beside her. He took a hold of her hand, pulling her slightly, forcing her to look at him. "I know you feel guilty but you shouldn't."

"Damon, please don't," she interrupted. "I don't deserve your concern." She looked at him with shame, then looked down. He took her chin, raising it to meet his eyes again.

"Why not?"

She swallowed hard, pursed her lips, fighting back a wave of guilt. "I was angry with you because—I was jealous."

"Jealous?" he said with surprised. "You?"

"Let me explain," she said shamefully. "I tried to contact you last night and when you didn't reply, I ran into Elijah. The fight left me exhausted and worried. When I finally made it home, I thought you would be worried about me, but instead—"

"Instead, I was worried about Elena," he said, finishing her sentence so she could save face. He gripped her arms tightly, forcing her to look into his eyes. "I have never known you to be jealous. Why start now?

She shook her head in shame. "I don't know."

He pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "I know you've been stressed out with everything going on, we all have. But I want you to know, I love you and only you."

Vella pulled back slightly, looking up into his eyes. "I know you do and you shouldn't have to tell me, I should know better."

Damon pursed his lips, trying to stifle a grin.

"Why are you grinning?" she asked with annoyance.

His grin grew wider as he thought about his answer. "I know I shouldn't be, but, I'm kind of—flattered."

She rolled her eyes, pursed her lips and smacked him playfully on the arm. "Somehow I'm not surprised by that."

Her guilt didn't vanish, but it did lessen as Damon pulled her into an embrace and kissed her, softly at first, then much more deeply. She knew she had been acting unreasonably, but she had been unable to help herself. After a good night's sleep, and Damon's loving embrace, it was easier for her to see more clearly.

"I think we better go downstairs," Damon suggested, before things got out of hand.

Vella smiled, brushing the side of his face gently with the tips of her fingers. "Okay."

He smiled, jumping up from the bed, pulling her with him. He glanced at her milky white body with longing, she was still wearing her black lace bra and panties, his favorite. He grinned seductively, pulling her into an embrace. "I think you better get dressed quickly," he whispered into her ear. "I don't know how long I can control myself against your feminine wiles."

She giggled, whispering back in his ear. "Why don't you join me for a _quick_ shower?"

He grinned, ran around the room grabbing both of their robes, then picked his wife up into his arms and carried her to the bathroom.

Vella was happy to find a fresh pot of coffee waiting in the kitchen when she finally made her way down there. She poured herself a cup and sat down with the newspaper, only her heart wasn't in it. She didn't really care about other people's problems at the moment, all she could think of was Elena, and how she was going to rescue her.

She smiled encouragingly at Jeremy when he walked into the kitchen. He returned her smile tenatively, sitting down beside her.

"How did you sleep, Jer?"

"Not very well," he replied, looking away.

"Is there something you want to ask me?"

"Not exactly," he answered hesitantly.

"We're cousins, Jer. You can ask me anything."

He looked at her hesitantly, fear in his eyes. "Do you really think Elena will be okay?"

She sighed, holding back tears. "I wish I could promise you that, Jer, but no one knows for sure. But what I do know is, we're all going to do our best to get her back before Klaus has a chance to hurt her."

He reached out his hand, placing it on top of hers in support. "I know you will, I've never doubted that."

"Then promise me something. Please don't get involved with any of this. Let us handle this. You and Elena are the only family I have left in the world."

"What about me?" John asked as he walked into the kitchen.

Vella shifted uncomfortably in her chair, while Jeremy stood up.

"I'll leave you two alone," he said glancing at John quickly, then swiftly left the kitchen.

John nodded at Jeremy as he passed, then sat beside Vella. Her hand was still sitting on the table, so he placed his on top in support. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything important."

"No," she replied, shaking her head.

"How are you feeling?" he asked with concern. "I was really worried about you last night."

"There's no need to worry about me, John. I can take care of myself—as I've done for many years on my own."

He frowned slightly. "I guess I deserve that."

"I'm sorry, John. You didn't really deserve that. Not after your help last night."

"I was just glad to help, really. I still have a lot to make up for."

She wasn't sure when it happened, but Vella had begun to feel something other than loathing towards John. She was beginning to trust and maybe even care about him. She didn't think she could ever forget what he had done to her, but she could learn to forgive him.

"Thank you."

He smiled happily and nodded his head. "I'll leave you alone now. But if you ever need to talk, I'll be here for you."

She smiled as he stood up and left without a reply. It wasn't that long ago she hated John with a passion, and now he was the one making her feel better, it felt strange, but somehow made her feel a little more optimistic about the future.

Much of the early afternoon was spent trying to come up with some sort of plan to rescue Elena. With everyone in attendance, it became harried at times, and with so many differing opinions, there were many arguments, which never really were resolved. Instead they were forgotten in their haste to accomplish something.

Vella did her best to stay out of everything. She sat quietly and avoided voicing her opinions as much as possible, much to the chagrin of everyone else. While she cared very much about Elena, she couldn't really use that to keep herself calm enough, so the best way to do that was to keep her mouth closed.

After one particularly heated discussion, Vella hadn't noticed when everyone in the room had left, except for Stefan. When she did notice, she tried to pretend she hadn't, but he wasn't about to let this rare opportunity pass him by.

"I wanted to apologize for my behaviour last night," he said looking ashamed.

She shrugged but didn't reply.

He sat down, taking her hand before she had a chance to react. "I really am sorry, Vella. If I lose you as well as Elena—I really don't know what I would do."

She was angry with Stefan, but at the same she felt pity for him. She was about to wrench her hand away, when Damon walked in the room looking murderous. She stood up quickly, as he ran at his brother, stopping him before he could attack. He tried desperately to get around Vella, but she held onto his arms with all her strength and he didn't dare to try fighting back any harder, in case he were to hurt her.

"You're a dead man, Stefan!" he yelled completely enraged. "I'm gonna tear you apart if you go near her again!"

Damon's yelling brought most of the people in the house running into the livingroom to see what was going on.

"You don't deserve her anyway!" Stefan yelled back at his brother. "She's too good for you!"

"And you think you do? You don't even deserve, Elena! You're nothing but a liar!"

"This coming from the king of liars!"

"Enough!" Vella yelled. She released a wave of magical energy as she yelled, sending both men flying backwards many feet, each hitting the wall behind them.

Everyone in the room was too stunned to move or breathe, all of them standing perfectly still, barely even blinking.

Vella crossed the room, stopping in front of Stefan, bending over to whisper to him in a very low voice, only vampires ears would be able to pick up. "I warned you never to say that to him again." Her face was contorted in rage. "If it wasn't for the people in this room who could stop me, you'd probably be dead right now." She stood up straight, glaring across the room at Damon. She wasn't exactly angry with him but she was incredibly annoyed.

As she was walking out of the livingroom, she noticed Caroline and Matt helping Stefan to his feet. She gritted her teeth, fighting the urge to knock him down again. She was going to go upstairs to her room, but instead she decided to walk out the front door, sitting down on the chair she reserved for reading. She only had enough time to close her eyes, when Damon walked outside, sitting down cross-legged on the ground beside her.

"I'm sorry," he uttered quietly.

Vella opened her eyes, looking at Damon with disappointment. "Do you even have a clue why I'm angry with you?"

He shook his head lightly. "No."

She sighed loudly. "Your brother is upset right now, you didn't need to start a fight with him in a house full of our friends." He opened his mouth to speak, but she put up her hand to stop him. "He's worried about Elena and he's not thinking straight. While that doesn't give him the right to act inappropriately, we should try to understand how he feels."

"Why are you sticking up for him?" he asked angrily.

"I'm not. But—you know what? Forget it. Nothing I say ever gets through to you."

"What are you talking about?"

"I know you're still upset about me and Stefan, but no matter how many times I tell you I feel nothing for him, you still think there is and get jealous. He was upset and I was going to deal with him, but you stepped in before I could." She sighed loudly. "If you'd allowed me to handle things, maybe you would've been surprised."

"You're right," he replied after thinking for a few moments. "I acted without thinking. I'm sorry."

She grinned teasingly. "I like it when you tell me I'm right. Can you tell me again?"

He grinned, grabbing her by the hand and pulled her off the chair. He pulled her onto his lap, while she was giggling. Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her slowly and deeply.

"And I like it when you're happy," he whispered into her ear.

She pulled herself away from him slightly, looking up into his eyes seriously. "I never want you to change, Damon. Just try restrain yourself once in awhile," she said then smiled lovingly into his eyes. "I love you, Damon. Exactly the way you are."

He returned her smile, stroking her hair tenderly. "I feel exactly the same about you, love."

They held each other for a short time, not uttering a single word. Neither wanted to spoil their special quiet moment together, which they so rarely had a chance to enjoy lately. And while neither would admit it to each other, they both wondered if it would be one of the last moments they shared together.

Damon had been keeping his true feelings hidden from Vella for awhile. He wasn't optimistic like she was, he never had been. As much as he wanted to hope that she would make it out of this situation alive–he really doubted it–which is why he'd been so angry when he saw Stefan holding her hand. He wanted nothing more than to lock himself up with her, spending every moment together until Klaus came for her. At times, he even saw himself fighting for her and perhaps dying for her, all so he wouldn't have to suffer being alone without her. He didn't think he could bare the thought of being without her. But he couldn't do that. And he knew couldn't tell her how he felt, he'd made a promise to her, and he intended on keeping it for as long as he could.

Before Damon and Vella were ready to go back into the house, Caroline and Matt walked outside, looking apologetic for interrupting them.

"I'm taking Matt to work," Caroline explained.

"Are you staying with him, or coming back?" Vella asked.

"I think I'll stay there," she replied. "Tyler is supposed to drop by later on. I can always come back when he shows up."

Vella nodded, watching Caroline and Matt drive away. When they were gone, she stood up, pulling Damon to his feet. "We should get back inside."

"If we must," he grinned.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Not must, but we should."

He smiled, pulling her closely for one deep kiss, then took her hand, leading her inside.

Inside, everyone else who remained in the house, was scattered in different places of the house. Stefan was sitting in the livingroom reading a book and they could hear that Bonnie and Jeremy were in the kitchen. John was nowhere to be seen.

While Damon decided to pour himself a drink, Vella joined Bonnie and Jeremy in the kitchen. She smirked as she walked in, interrupting a kiss between the two.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I just figured I would see what I should make for dinner tonight."

Jeremy smiled. "You know you don't have to cook for everyone. I'm sure we can all manage on our own."

Vella grinned teasingly. "I don't want _you_ burning the house down, Jer."

"Ha, ha," he laughed mockingly.

"Seriously though, Jer. I don't mind. I enjoy cooking when I get the chance."

"Let me help you, Vella," Bonnie volunteered.

She smiled happily. "Thank you."

Vella rooted through the freezer and found a few small roasts. She was going to take out the larger one, but they wouldn't cook in time from frozen. Several of them would work just as well and take less time to cook.

After placing the roasts in the large roasting pan, her and Bonnie peeled carrots and some onions, placed them in the pan with the roasts, then poured some vegetable broth and some spices—which Vella wouldn't tell Bonnie what they were—in the pan, then put it in the oven.

The two ladies then peeled potatoes, chopped them up and put them in a pot with water for later. They also cut up broccoli and cauliflower, and Vella showed Bonnie how to make her special cheese sauce, which they set aside to reheat later.

Once they were done, Bonnie looked at Vella in wonder. "Why do you have so much food here when you don't need to eat?"

"I still enjoy eating, even though I don't need to," she explained with a grin. "I even cook one big meal at least once a week for everyone in the house."

She was about to ask why, when she saw Vella's grin turn to a frown.

"What's wrong?"

"Elena's gonna miss the meal tonight," she uttered sadly, fighting back tears.

Bonnie set her hand on her shoulder in support. "I know. I wish she was here too."

The ladies kept quiet for some time, each deep in their own thoughts, the only similarity was who they were thinking about, Elena. They almost didn't notice when Jeremy and Damon came in, both were startled by their appearance.

"How's supper coming?" Jeremy asked with a grin.

Vella was about to reply when her phone went off. She reached into her pocket, pulled it out, nearly dropping it in her haste.

"Hello?"

"It's me, Tyler," he answered breathlessly.

"What's wrong, Ty?"

"I can't say too much here, someone might be listening. I just wanted you to know Matt and Caroline are on their way to your place and I'll be along very shortly."

"Can't you tell me anything?"

"No. Just keep an eye out for Matt and Care."

She was about to ask something else, but he cut the call short. She looked over at Damon, frowning with worry.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I don't know but it didn't sound good," she said, running out of the kitchen in a hurry.

When everyone caught up to her, Vella was standing outside waiting. They only had to wait a minute before Caroline showed up, carrying Matt in her arms, who looked embarrassed and uncomfortable.

"What's going on?" she asked before anyone else had a chance.

"I think we should wait for Tyler," Caroline answered, setting Matt on the ground.

She wasn't sure why, but Vella had a very bad feeling about whatever it was they didn't want to say. She wasn't in the mood to wait around, so she changed into a hawk, taking to the air before anyone really realized what had happened.

She soared high on the wind currents, searching for Tyler. She wasn't sure if he was driving or not, so she wasn't quite sure what she was looking for, but she assumed he would be driving. It wasn't dark enough for him to be transforming into his werewolf self quite yet. She soon spied him driving towards the boarding house, so she soared above until he pulled into the driveway, then she descended quickly, landing on the ground in the midst of everyone. She startled everyone when changed back into her own form.

"What was that all about?" Damon asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Impatience," she replied as she walked into the house. She sat down on the couch to wait for everyone.

Once everyone had crowded into the large livingroom—and someone had found John, who'd been sleeping—Caroline stood in the middle of everyone in attendance, looking apprehensive.

"While I was waiting for Tyler to show up, I saw Klaus and Elijah come in and sit down at a booth." There were murmurs around the room, but Caroline gave everyone a dirty look and they hushed immediately. "They were talking about Elena. I'm sure they wanted me to hear them, but I can't be sure."

Vella looked at her impatiently. "Care, I love you dearly, but please stop editorializing and get on with it."

She looked at her slightly embarrassed, then continued. "They were saying that if they couldn't manage to raise Katherine from the dead the old fashioned way, they were going to raise her soul and place it in Elena's body since she looks so much like her."

Everyone in the room gasped, looking completely shocked and appalled. There were cries of: "Oh my God!" and "No way!" and "That's impossible!"

"I'll find out if that's even possible," Vella announced loudly and firmly, once the shouting had abated. "But first, we're all going to sit and eat dinner." Everyone looked at her apprehensively.

"No arguments!"

No one disagreed with Vella, as she headed into the kitchen. She ran around getting everything ready, with the help of Bonnie. Once it was complete, they all sat down at the table, enjoying their dinner together.

The discussions at the table were a bit subdued and most of it was just idle chatter, but it was better than an awkward silence, which did strike them once in awhile. And once Vella was sure everyone had eaten properly, she grabbed Damon by the hand, turning to everyone assembled and excused herself for a few minutes.

As they stood outside, which was now dark, except for the almost full moon hovering above showering them with light, Vella held Damon's hand, looking into his eyes with love and concern.

"I know you have questions, but they'll be answered soon," she said, answering his questioning look. "I need to feed and it needs to be fresh."

Damon pulled her into a tight embrace, kissing her deeply for a moment. "Let's go."

**A/N: Did that throw you for a loop? I sure hope so. I told you it would get interesting lol. **

**Feel free to let me know what you think about my story by sending a review. I read them all.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	102. Chapter 102

Chapter 102 ~ Moment of Truth

As Vella arrived back at the boarding house from her hunting trip with Damon, she was feeling anxious. The whole time she was out, her mind was on Klaus and how she had misjudged him. She'd been so sure that he had only wanted Elena as a way to torture everyone who cared about her, but she had been wrong, very wrong. While she knew it wasn't her fault—she wasn't a mind reader after all—she still felt responsible.

Damon, sensing her need for support, took her hand in his as they entered the house. They noticed everyone was in the livingroom talking, but they became almost instantly silent as the couple walked through the threshhold.

Damon squeezed Vella's hand gently as everyone turned to glance at her.

"We cleaned up the kitchen while you were gone," Jeremy blurted out, breaking the awkward silence.

She smiled, thanking him, then gazed at everyone in attendance much more seriously. "I know you're all curious to find out what I'm going to do. But it's not going to just be me, it will be all of you also. I know of only one person who can tell me if what Klaus wants to do is even possible, and that's my mother."

She didn't even give anyone a chance to ask a questions as she directed everyone to stand up, and pushed all the furniture against the walls in one part of the room. She disappeared for a moment into the kitchen, reappearing with a large container of salt in her hand.

"Normally I wouldn't do this with other people present, but I think everyone needs to hear what she has to say," she explained while directing everyone to sit, forming a circle on the floor. "Plus, having all of you here will make this spell easier."

Once everyone was sitting, she used the salt to draw a circle in the middle of the circle of people, then placed a candle on opposite sides. She lit them with a wave of her hand, then took her own seat on the floor between Damon and Bonnie.

"Everyone please hold the hand of the person on each side of you, and stay silent." She reached into her pocket, pulling out a diamond ring. It had been her mother's engagement ring. She squeezed it into her palm as she took Damon's hand, then with her other hand she took Bonnie's.

With one look from Vella, silence fell across the room. She closed her eyes, channeling energy from those around her. It only took a minute, before she opened her eyes again, staring at the circle of salt. "Mother, I summon you," she called with a commanding voice.

It only took a few seconds, but it seemed much longer to those who were gathered, watching intently. The ghostly image of Vella's mother, Vivian, slowly took shape in the circle of salt, first forming a mist, then to a fully formed apparition who almost seemed solid. Everyone in attendance felt a shiver go down their back.

"Vella, my dear," Vivian uttered in a ghostly voice. "Why have you brought me here like this?"

"I wouldn't have brought you here this way if it wasn't of the utmost importance."

She smiled at her daughter, looking around the room. When she spied John, she hesitated for a moment, before gazing back at her daughter. "These are your loved ones I see, but someone is missing."

"That's what I needed to speak to you about."

"Is it information you seek?"

Vella took a deep breath, she was fighting back tears, before replying. "Klaus has taken her. But it's what he wants her for that's troubling, mother."

Vivian frowned with worry as she watched her daughter trying to control herself.

"Do you remember of what we spoke about when you last visited me?" Vivian nodded. "Klaus is still determined to raise Katherine, only he has come up with a different way." Her hands began to shake slightly as she fought to speak the words. Both Damon and Bonnie squeezed her hands supportively, which helped to calm her. "He wants to raise Katherine's soul and place it in Elena's body."

Vivian looked at her daughter with horror. "You musn't allow that abomination to happen!"

"You mean it's possible?" she asked with shock, fear and panic. "What will happen to Elena if he succeeds?"

Her mother glanced around the room quickly, before fixing her eyes back on her daughter. "Two things can happen. The best case scenario is, Katherine's soul takes Elena's body, then kills Elena's life force, sending her to the afterlife. The worst case scenario is, Katherine's soul takes Elena's body, but Elena's soul remains trapped inside the body for as long as her body lives, always aware of what's happening, but never able to do anything about it."

There was shocked muttering from all around the room, making it difficult for Vella to hold on to the spell. She had to concentrate harder, even though her insides were squirming at the thought of Elena trapped in a body she could no longer control. It took a great deal of effort, but she finally managed to settle her thoughts.

"I'm sorry, Vella. I know you were hoping for better news," she said sadly.

"It's okay, Mama. I needed the truth—we all did."

"Listen carefully, Vella. If you have to go through with what we talked about before, it would be a far better solution than what Klaus is planning now. You can be sure his witches are powerful, but not powerful enough to cast that spell properly. Once Katherine's soul is inside Elena's body, there is no way to separate them, except death."

"Mom..."

"No, Vella. It's time for me to go, I can feel your strength faltering. I will visit you again soon." She smiled strangely, then turned to Damon. "Please continue to take care of my daughter as you always have. She needs you just as much as you need her. Without you, I fear for her."

"I will always take care of her," he replied with a nod.

Vivian turned, looking seriously at John. "Be the man I always knew you could be. Don't ever hurt your daughter again." And with that, she disappeared in a flash of light, the force of which, caused Vella to almost fall backwards, her eyes closed.

When Vella opened her eyes, she was gazing into the beautiful blue eyes of her husband. He was gazing intently into her eyes, trying to assess her condition.

"I'm fine," she replied with a smile reserved only for him. "I didn't think she was going to break the spell like that or I would have been prepared."

"As long as you're fine it doesn't matter to me," he said, pulling her close to him.

Everyone else in the room had stood up from the floor, assembling around the room, talking amongst themselves. As Damon helped her up from the floor, she glanced around the room quickly, looking for a certain person who seemed to have left the room. She was about to search for him, when Stefan walked up to her.

"Thank you, Vella," he said awkwardly, while his brother glared at him. "That couldn't have been easy for you and—I appreciate it."

"I did it for Elena," she replied shortly, then turned her attention to Damon. "I'll be right back."

Vella headed out into the hallway and up the stairs, walking down the hall past a few doorways, then opening the one John had been sleeping in while staying in the boarding house. She spotted John, standing in front of the window, looking out.

John turned to face his daughter, his eyes reddened and his face damp from tears. "I didn't realize how real she was going to look."

"I'm sorry, John. I should have warned you."

He laughed ironically, shaking his head. "No, you're wrong. It's less than I deserve—seeing her again."

She looked uncomfortable, then turned around. "I just came to make sure you were okay. Now I'm going back downstairs."

She began to leave, but he caught up to her, taking a hold of her wrist. "I know you didn't do it for me, but thank you all the same. I can't explain how she made me feel, the feelings she conveyed to me."

"Yes, I can," she said looking uncomfortable again. "She wasn't able to hide it from me."

"Oh," he said startled, dropping her wrist.

"Look, John. I know she trusts you, but I'm still finding it difficult," she explained. "I'm trying though."

"That's all I can ask of you."

She averted her gaze, then turned around again, walking out without another word. She quickly headed back downstairs into the livingroom, stopping just inside the doorway. She scanned the room quickly, making sure everyone was still assembled.

"I hate to add a note of desperation to this, but we need to come up with a plan before tomorrow night," she announced to shocked looks from around the room. "Tomorrow night is the full moon. While it's not necessary for the spell, it will make it easier to complete the spell successfully. I would bet anything they're planning on attempting it tomorrow night."

No one questioned her conclusion, it seemed entirely logical to all of them, even though the only witch was Bonnie. They all knew enough to know magic was stronger when channeling power from celestial bodies, especially the moon.

The only thing Vella was concerned about was Tyler. She knew he was more powerful during the full moon and the extra power often went to his head. They needed his help, but if he wasn't able to control himself he would end up being more of a liabilty than an asset.

Vella helped the Salvatore brothers put all of the furniture back where it belonged, Stefan had already cleaned up the candles and salt. When they were finished, she sat on the couch beside Damon, leaning against him heavily, his arm around her. She was tired, both mentally and physically, even after hunting. The spell had taken quite a bit of energy, but not near as much as everything else that had transpired. With the information about Elena and her talk with John, she just wanted to curl up with Damon and forget everything for a short while. Of course that wasn't possible, but it helped just to think about it.

After some discussions, everyone decided it would be better to turn in early, so they could get an early start. Almost everyone was tired and needed sleep, so there were no disagreements with that decision.

Vella was probably the happiest about this decision, she was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to curl up with Damon. She was worried it might be the last time she ever did. She was going to rescue Elena no matter what, even if it meant losing her life.

She climbed into bed, laying closely to Damon's side of the bed. She cuddled up to his pillows, waiting for him, but fell asleep as soon as she was comfortable.

Vella woke up with a start about an hour after she had dozed off. She wasn't sure what had awakened her from her deep slumber, but she had a bad feeling deep in the pit of her stomach. She was still facing Damon's side of the bed, but she noticed he wasn't there and the blankets on his side of the bed hadn't been disturbed.

What the hell? she thought.

Suddenly the sick feeling in her stomach made sense. Her subconcious had sensed danger, and that danger was Damon. She didn't even want to think about why he was missing, because her imagination was probably worse than the reality–or at least she hoped–she did have an active imagination.

She leapt out of bed gracefully, not making a sound. She got dressed in sweat pants and an old t-shirt, it would be the quietest outfit as well as the easiest to move in. She walked slowly, deliberately, trying to make every foot fall silent.

She knew the house well, perhaps too well. She walked carefully missing every squeaky floor board, every rusty door hinge and every noisy door knob, making it outside without being noticed by anyone in the house.

She fought off a feeling of fear, convincing herself she had to find Damon no matter what. She knew she shouldn't be doing it alone, but she didn't want to be responsible for someone else's death, so she headed off into the night, her feet carrying her as fast as they could.

Vella slowed as she neared the old farmhouse, not to try and surprise anyone, she knew that would never happen, but to try and prepare herself for whatever might happen. But as she felt her bravery and resolve failing, she began walking towards the house with quick, deliberate footsteps.

As she came close to the house, she saw three figures walk outside quickly. One of the women, stayed close to the house, directly in front of Vella. The other two women, walked around to flank her, but stayed a considerable distance away. She stared across the distance at the witch in front of her, a grin on her face, and laughed.

"I want to see Damon, _now_!" she demanded imperiously.

The witch in front smiled with malice. "He belongs to Klaus now. But you can have him—if you think you can take him."

Vella felt the rage inside her beginning to build. She glared menacingly at the witch, the corner of her lips curling slightly into a sneer. "I know I can take him."

The three witches laughed as Vella continued to stand still, not doing anything, or so they thought. She was too busy trying to harness all of the rage and fear within her. She'd never been this angry or afraid in her whole life.

As she prepared to release an onslaught of magic, she noticed movement at the entrance to the house. The door opened, Elijah stepping outside first, followed by Klaus, who was dragging Damon with him. He had one arm around him, with a stake near his chest. As they stepped into the moonlight, she noticed Damon's gray shirt was stained red by his blood.

Vella waited a moment, to see if either Klaus or Elijah would speak, but neither did. However, a grin of victory spread across their faces, sending a new wave of anger shooting through her like lightning. She gazed upon Damon's face, trying to remember his face, but she didn't want to remember him like this. His eyes were slightly glazed from pain, and lack of blood, and she saw fear, fear like she'd never seen before. But as she focused on those beautiful blue eyes, she could also see his love for her shining inside them.

In an instant, she gathered the rest of her rage and fear, holding it inside her with the rest, then began to harness energy from all around her. It was then the witches began to do the same.

"Too late," she taunted with a sneer.

The amused look that had been on their faces disappeared instantly, replaced by worry, as Vella sent blasts of magical energy towards all three of them at once. They had been prepared for an attack, but they had underestimated her love for Damon, none of them had been prepared to be attacked simultaneously.

All three of them were sent flying backwards as the energy hit them, none of them able to brace themselves against the onslaught in time. The witch standing directly in front of her, hit the ground hard, landing on her back, her arms splayed outwards, but never moved again. She was dead before she even hit the ground.

The other two witches hit the ground, but were still alive. They were trying to get to their feet, but Vella ran at one, snapping her neck before she even knew what was happening. The remaining witch almost made it to her feet in time, but not before Vella snapped her neck as well, falling to the ground with a satisfying thud.

Vella turned to face Klaus and Elijah, expecting angry looks, or possibly even shock, but neither seemed to be either of those things. She eyed them warily, waiting to see what their next move would be.

Klaus grinned, shoving Damon into Elijah's arms. "I knew you had it in you," he said, almost proudly, clapping his hands a few times.

Vella was surprised by his reaction. She'd just murdered three of his witches and he was, proud? She did her best to contain her shock though, she needed to try and keep a straight head, despite her confusion and exhaustion.

"I want you to release Damon right now!"

He laughed, shooting a quick glance at Elijah. "You can have him, if, in return, you give me what I require."

"You know I can't give that to you."

"Perhaps you're unclear what it is I want from you," he replied, narrowing his eyes shrewdly.

"I know what you want," she answered irritably. "Katherine."

He smiled coldly. "I think I could be persuaded to forget about her, if you gave me something else."

A cold shiver suddenly ran down Vella's back as she realized what he wanted, her.

"You could possess me, Klaus, but you would never have the obedience or infatuation Katherine had with you."

He laughed in amusement. "Obedience? Katherine?" he asked rhetorically. "She may have been infatuated with me, but she was never obedient."

Vella couldn't stand to look at Klaus any longer, her eyes falling on her beloved, Damon. He was looking at her apologetically, which angered her. She knew he had come to try and save her and Elena from Klaus, but unfortunately whatever he had planned hadn't worked. It was nothing to apologize for. Although it had ended badly, she was proud of him, and more desperately in love with him, if that was even possible.

"Fine," she finally muttered, fighting off the shaking fear rising inside of her. "I'll join you. But only if you release Damon _and_ Elena. And only until they make it home safely."

He watched her, studying her face and posture, trying to see if there was some kind of subterfuge, but he saw none. She was telling the truth, as far as he could tell, and he had to fight off the urge to smile triumphantly. He nodded to Elijah, who released Damon, then walked into the house.

Damon was wobbly on his feet as he walked towards Vella. He stumbled as he reached her, but she was quick enough to stop him from falling, catching him in her arms. She helped him stand straight, then embraced him tightly, tears rolling down her face.

"You can't do this, Vella. Please," he begged her while choking on tears of his own. "Please."

She squeezed him tighter, then pulled back from the embrace slightly. She stared into his eyes, tears freely flowing. "I have to, Damon. Please trust me."

He shook his head violently, trying to fight back the tears. "I can't live without you."

"Yes, you can," she said sadly. "I will come back to you. I promise."

"No, please don't do this," he begged desperately.

"You have to trust me, Damon," she said just as desperately. She knew she had to do her best to convince him, even if she had to make him feel guilty. "Trust that I can make the right decision for once."

He looked at her with despair. "I love you, Vella. Forever."

She pulled him closer, wrapping her arms around him as tightly as she could, fighting off a fresh wave of tears. "I love you, Damon. No matter what happens, remember that. Forever," she whispered quietly, unable to trust herself to speak any louder.

Damon pulled back from their embrace and kissed her deeply, gripping her arms tightly. He was trying desperately to fight the fear building up inside him, making his stomach ache painfully. He whispered gently into her ear, " I trust you," then released her from his grip.

She smiled at him, only fear and sadness still showed on her face. "Take care of Elena."

Elijah had walked outside during their tender moment, supporting Elena against him. He slowly walked her part of the distance between him and the Salvatores, then released his grip on her, walking backwards, never once taking his eyes off of them.

Elena walked slowly and carefully towards them, her skin was very pale in the moonlight. When she reached Vella, she threw her arms around her, hugging her tightly and whispered, "Thank you."

Vella was thrown off a bit by her embrace, but recovered quickly. She hugged her back tightly, whispering in her ear, "Please take care of Damon. Make sure he doesn't get himself killed before I can get back to him."

Elena smiled and nodded her head, though sadness was showing in her face. "I promise."

Vella fought the urge to sob as she gave Elena's hand to Damon, who took it reluctantly. He gazed at her pleadingly, hoping she would change her mind, even though he knew she wouldn't. Her eyes spoke more than words ever could.

She turned to Klaus, shooting him a steely glance, speaking firmly. "I'm gonna wait right here until Damon calls me and tells me he made it home safely with Elena. I expect you to keep your word."

He nodded once in response, but said nothing.

Damon wrapped his arm around Elena's waist in support and began to walk away. He glanced back once sadly, mouthing, "_I love you_," then disappeared into the darkness.

Vella watched him disappear, fighting back tears. She was shaking violently on the inside, while trying her best not to shake outwardly. She knew Klaus would be enjoying her pain, the less he could see the better. She stood in the exact same spot, until her phone rang many minutes later.

"We made it home safely," his voice cracking. "I'm not gonna let Klaus get away with this."

"I'll be fine, Damon. I promise you," she replied, trying to keep the fear and sorrow from her voice.

"You're going to bring Katherine back for him, aren't you?"

"I have to go now, Damon. I love you."

"I love you too."

She ended the call quickly, before she could break down, then turned her phone off, she knew she wouldn't be needing it for awhile. She swallowed hard as she put the phone back into her pocket and turned around to face Klaus. She wasn't feeling nearly as brave as she'd been only minutes before.

"Are you ready, my dear?" Klaus called. He was wearing a cold grin on his face.

Vella felt her stomach lurch, but she swallowed hard again, trying desperately to keep her composure. She walked towards Klaus at a usual pace, concentrating on every step, each one more difficult than the one before it. When she reached him, she stopped, glaring at him defiantly.

He nodded once to Elijah, who proceeded inside the house, dragging a haggard looking old man back with him. After making the man invite Vella in, he dragged him away again.

"If you had just agreed to this in the first place, so much of this pain could have been avoided," Klaus said coldly, as he directed her into the house.

Vella walked into the old farmhouse, stopping just inside the door. She swallowed hard again, fighting off a wave of terror. Although she'd led Damon to believe she had a plan to escape, she really didn't, and now that her fate was a reality, she was beyond frightened. She turned to glare at the cold, cruel, calculating eyes of Klaus, then everything went blank.

**A/N: Well, now Klaus has Vella. Do you think he'll get what he wants? Do you think she'll give in easily? I told you it would get much more interesting if you held on a bit longer *wink***

**Feel free to let me know what you think by leaving a review.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	103. Chapter 103

Chapter 103 ~ In the Lion's Den

Vella opened her eyes slowly to adjust to the brightness of the room. As soon as her eyes focused, she remembered everything that had happened before she passed out. She assumed the light headed feeling had come from being dosed with vervain, which would explain having no memory of anything past the time she walked into the farmhouse.

As she lifted her arms to wipe her eyes, she noticed they were heavy. She looked down at them, finding her arms shackled with very heavy iron chains, over an inch thick. She dropped her hands back to her side, not feeling up to lifting them, then glanced around the room.

She was laying on a wooden four poster bed with yellow sheets and a quilt. There was a long wooden dresser to the right of her, with a window just above it, and a wooden nightstand to the left. She also noticed the door was to her left as well. As she tried to sit up, she realized her legs were shackled as well, and after a few awkward moments fighting with the heavy chains, she managed to somewhat sit up.

"Ah, you're finally awake," Klaus said as he walked into the room. He was followed by a petite blonde vampire who was carrying some clothing. "Just set that on the dresser and leave."

The vampire did as she was told, then left immediately.

"I'm sorry I have to shackle you, my dear, but I'm sure you understand why I must."

Vella glared at him angrily, but said nothing.

"No worries though," he said casually. "Soon my warlock will arrive. Then you'll be allowed to get out of those chains."

"Do you think one warlock will be able to keep me here?"

He laughed with amusement. "He'll be able to keep you from leaving this house, that's all I need from him. The iron chains will keep you from being able to do anything until then."

She glared at him, then averted her gaze. She felt sick having to lay her eyes upon his cruel face.

He walked up to the bed, sitting down on the edge. He studied her for a minute, then reached for the wrist her silver bracelet was on. Holding her wrist, he used his other hand to grab a hold of the bracelet, trying to break it. A slight grin spread across Vella's face.

"You can't remove it."

"Yes, I see you've enchanted it. Let me guess, only you can remove it?" She nodded. "I suppose I couldn't persuade you to remove it, could I? It would make things a little easier for both of us."

"You must be crazy if you think I'd do that," she replied in disbelief.

He laughed. "No, I'm not crazy, just trying to make you realize how much easier it would be for you if you just did as I asked."

"I'm no ones slave!" she yelled defiantly.

"Just remember, I gave you the option. Now it's time to do things the hard way," he replied coldly.

Vella felt a cold shiver run down her spine, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. She tried to back up as Klaus neared himself to her face, leaning over her, but she was against the back of the bed and couldn't move any farther. She tried to push him away, but the chains were heavy and he was obviously much stronger than she was in her weakened state. He grinned in amusement at her desperate ploy.

She began to yell, "No!" over and over, as he came close to her neck, his fangs bared. He struck quickly, piercing her neck with deadly precision, from his many, many years of practice.

As he drank her blood, she tried to fight him off, but she wasn't strong enough. She felt sick inside knowing he was tasting her blood, blood that only belonged to Damon. She felt herself becoming light headed and weak before he stopped, grinning sadistically with her blood dripping from his maw.

"Now it's your turn," he said coldly, biting into his wrist, piercing the artery that flowed through it.

He stuck his wrist up to her mouth, but she clamped her mouth shut tightly, shaking her head in refusal. He grasped her jaw tightly with his other hand, squeezing tightly, forcing her mouth open. As his blood flowed into her mouth, she gagged and spit as much as she could, trying not to drink any of it. But the more he squeezed on her jaw, the harder it became to do anything but allow the blood to flow freely down her throat. Once he was positive she had enough blood in her mouth, he used the hand that was bleeding to cover her mouth, forcing her to swallow the remaining blood.

He let go of her jaw once she was finished swallowing, grinning malevolently. "You'll find my blood much more potent than that of an average vampire," he remarked. "Now I can feel you, just as you should be able to feel me."

Vella's stomach lurched again as she began to feel exactly what Klaus meant. The connection between the two of them allowed each other to feel things the other felt. It wasn't only limited to emotions, but to thoughts as well. She hoped it would only last as long as his blood was in her system, but she feared that wasn't the case. The thought made her want to bleed herself dry.

Klaus smiled evilly as he wiped the blood from his face with his sleeve. "You're right you know. This connection will only last as long as our blood runs in each other's veins, however, we will always have a bond. Kind of like the one you share with Damon's brother, Stefan."

Vella narrowed her eyes at the mention of her link with Stefan. "I will _never_ have a bond with you!" she shouted. "All I feel for you is hatred and loathing!"

"And how do you feel about, Stefan?" he asked with a smirk. "And make sure you tell the truth, because you can lie to yourself, but you can't lie to me. Not right now."

"Why does it matter to you how I feel about him?"

"I think the lady doth protest too much." He smiled in amusement as he felt her anger rising.

"Shut up!"

"Well, since you're in denial. How about I tell you how you feel about him?" he suggested with a smirk. "You feel more for him than you're willing to admit to yourself, or Damon."

"Leave it alone!"

"I wonder how Stefan would feel if he knew."

Vella's anger swiftly became full blown rage, rage she wasn't able to contain. She couldn't direct her magic like she normally would because of the iron chains, but the blood link between her and Klaus made it possible for her to hurt him that way. The only problem was she hurt herself as well, her head feeling like it was going to split in two.

Her pain lessened as she watched Klaus writhe in pain, grasping his head. He glared at her, then slapped her hard across the face, causing her nose to bleed for a moment, before healing. She smiled almost insanely as he realized he'd misjudged her power.

"I may have misjudged you, but I won't do that again," he said aloud, even though he knew she could hear him thinking it. "Enjoy your small victory while you can. I assure you, you won't enjoy what I have in store for you."

Vella fought back the urge to tell him off again while he was leaving the room. As angry as she was, she didn't want him in the same room with her any longer than necessary. Once the door shut behind him, she laid back as comfortably as she could and closed her eyes.

Her head was a jumble of feelings and images, both from her own mind and Klaus's. Once she was able to relax and collect her thoughts, she was able to block out most of his thoughts and concentrate only on hers. The most disturbing of all were her thoughts about Stefan. She really had no idea what he'd meant about feeling more for him than she would admit, because she didn't feel anything for him. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized he had been right. She did feel for him, but only a little bit, nothing that would ever interfere with her relationship with Damon. She was absolutely positive of that fact.

Damon was the one she loved more than anything in the world, the one she would lay down and die for. The only reason she was here with Klaus right now was because he had been in danger and she couldn't allow something to happen to him. But as she lay there in the strange house, with the iron chains keeping her prisoner and reflected on her predicament, the more she realized she was in way over her head. All she could do was try to keep hope that she would somehow escape one day, and hopefully before she was driven insane.

Vella closed her eyes, trying her best to stop thinking about anything. She wasn't sure how much of what she thought about was caused by Klaus trying to dredge up things that should stay buried, and how much of it was because she had nothing better to do than think. All she wanted it to do was stop so she could sleep. She didn't feel pain in her sleep. But she might as well been asking for something impossible, sleep wouldn't come.

It wasn't long before Elijah came into the room, unlocking Vella's shackles. He looked at her strangely, pointing to the dresser. "Klaus wants you to change into some clean clothes."

"And what if I refuse?" she asked defiantly, as she got out of the bed and stretched.

"Klaus will come in here and change you himself," he replied stoically. "Why must you do everything the difficult way?"

She snorted angrily. "Is that some kind of joke?"

"You would find your stay here more—pleasurable, if you would just do as Klaus asks."

"Is that what you do, Elijah?" she asked, speaking his name with disdain.

He glared at her, raising his hand, then lowered it after a moment. "You should learn to speak with more respect."

She was going to say something more, but decided not to test his patience any longer. She wasn't afraid of what he might do, she could tell by the look on his face he wouldn't defy Klaus, but she wasn't in the mood to test that theory. She figured it would be best to save it for a better time.

"Get dressed then come downstairs. _Don't_ make Klaus wait," he said seriously, putting emphasis on the word 'don't'.

She watched him leave, before walking over to the pile of clothes on the dresser that had been left there earlier. She wasn't sure what she had expected, but she was surprised to find a simple pair or black jeans, a black t-shirt, and a black lace bra and panties, everything she normally wore. She hadn't wanted to comply with Klaus's wishes, but she did feel dirty still wearing what she had on the night before. She dressed hastily, then began pacing around the room, trying to avoid going downstairs.

She walked up to the window, looking out at the field of untended corn dying in the field. She shook her head in disgust realizing what it meant. The poor old man who lived in this farmhouse had been a prisoner for quite awhile. It only made her more determined to get rid of Klaus and Elijah.

She eased the window open quietly, then slid the screen aside sticking her hand out, but she was blocked by an unseen force as soon as her hand tried to pass the threshhold of the window. She cursed under her breath, then slid the screen and window back into place.

She began to pace around again, but she knew she couldn't avoid going downstairs one way or another. If she didn't go down, someone would come up and drag her down, so she gathered up her courage, swallowing hard, then walked out into the hallway.

Vella could hear a few voices coming from down the stairs, but it just seemed to be idle chatter between some vampires. Neither Klaus, nor Elijah seemed to be speaking at the moment. She imagined they were probably listening, waiting for her. She swallowed hard again, then walked down the stairs, stopping at the bottom.

At the bottom of the stairs was what appeared to be the livingroom. There was a fireplace against one wall, a couch, several lounge chairs, a coffee table, end tables, various houseplants and assorted knick knacks. There were three doors she could go through, but she wasn't sure which one she was supposed to go through. The vampires who were sitting on the couch were pretty much ignoring her as they continued their conversation as if she wasn't there.

She was about to head towards one of the doors, when a different one opened, Elijah appearing inside the doorway. She took a deep breath, trying to gather the courage to make her feet move in his direction. Once she calmed herself down, she walked towards him, then through the doorway when he moved aside.

As she entered the kitchen, she noticed Klaus sitting at the small wooden kitchen table with another man. He pulled out the chair beside him, directing her to sit down. She reluctantly sat in the chair beside Klaus, facing the strange man. The only thing she knew about him was he was the warlock Klaus had spoken about, she could feel his power.

"This is the witch I've been speaking about," Klaus said to the man.

The man studied her for a moment, before reaching his hand out in greeting. "Nice to meet you. I'm Clark."

Vella narrowed her eyes at the man, but didn't reach for his hand or speak to him.

The man looked awkwardly, returning his hand to his side.

Klaus looked at her irritatedly. "That was very rude of you, Vella. You should learn to mind your manners."

She narrowed her eyes at him, but said nothing. She wasn't sure she wanted to test his patience with her snide remarks.

"I see you still want to do things the hard way," he remarked. "I guess I should consider myself lucky you actually changed your clothes."

Once again she said nothing.

"How long do you suppose you can keep the silent treatment up?"

She glared at him, but didn't reply.

He laughed with amusement. "That's okay, Vella, if that's you're choice. But you can still listen." He glanced at Clark, then back to her. "My warlock friend has been kind enough to cast a containment spell for me. You can walk around freely in the house, but you can't leave unless either myself, or Elijah allows you to."

"And why would I care to walk around freely? I'm still a prisoner regardless."

He eyed her shrewdly, grinning. "I suppose it does make little difference to you. But for me, it makes life a little easier."

"How does having me loose in the house make your life easier?"

"I don't have to worry about you escaping this way."

"And you're somehow not worried I'll kill you while you sleep?"

He laughed heartily, very amused. "Do you think I would be stupid enough to have white ash wood anywhere in this house?"

"I"m sure there's another way to kill you," she stated.

"If there was I'm sure you would have found it by now."

"Why do you allow her to speak to you like that, my brother?" Elijah said. He was standing at the doorway looking angry.

"Elijah, my brother, you must learn not to take things so seriously," he said dismissively. "She'll learn her place soon enough."

Vella chose a place to stare across the room and focused on it with everything she had. She wanted to leave, escape this prison she was in, but she knew that wasn't going to be possible. She had never felt so hopeless and alone in all of her life.

"Your shoes are waiting in the front hallway," Klaus said, nudging her arm. "I want you to get them on. We're going on a little trip."

She narrowed her eyes, but didn't reply. She stood up, walking to the other end of the kitchen, and exited through the door into the front hallway. She noticed her shoes were lying neatly together on the floor, so she sat down on the little bench and put them on.

Once her shoes were on, she stood back up looking out the window. She was afraid where Klaus was intending to take her, she knew it couldn't be for any good reason. She wanted to defy him, tell him to take her shoes and shove them up his ass, but she couldn't. She was hoping that where ever they went, she might be able to escape. She had to do whatever she could to make it through her ordeal and make it back to Damon, she had promised him.

She sighed as she turned away from the window and headed back into the kitchen. Klaus was standing up, waiting for her with his hand out, while Elijah was standing behind him with the warlock, Clark. She knew Klaus wanted her to take his hand, but she wasn't willing to be that cooperative. She stayed at the entrance to the kitchen standing defiantly.

Klaus walked towards Vella stoically, until he was standing beside her. He glared at her angrily, grasping her by the wrist tightly. "If you think I'm going to allow you to wander free, then you're sadly mistaken."

She pulled her arm, trying to free herself, but he only gripped her wrist tighter. She looked away feeling defeated.

"Much better," he said smiling coldly. "Let's go."

Vella didn't like being held like an insolent child, but she went along with it. Not that she had any other choice. She was positive the warlock was keeping her magic contained, she had been trying to use it to no avail. She decided to save her strength for later, just in case an opportunity to escape presented itself.

Klaus held her wrist the entire time they were travelling, until they were in town, then he released her with a warning. If she misbehaved, he wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone within his reach. She nodded in compliance, following beside him step by step, Elijah and Clark close behind them.

They walked down a familiar street, one Vella had been down many times before. When she realized where he was taking her, she felt anxiety growing inside, her stomach lurching painfully. She wanted so desperately to run away, but she didn't dare.

They walked into The Grill, heading for a booth closest to the doors. Vella sat down, Klaus sat next to her, and Elijah and Clark sat on the opposite side of the booth.

Vella looked around desperately hoping that no one she knew would be there, especially Damon. She knew that was what Klaus was hoping for. As if he knew what she was thinking, which of course he could but she had forgotten, he took a hold of her wrist under the table, whispering in her ear, "_If you try anything, I will slaughter everyone in this place without a single thought_."

She swallowed hard, glaring at him angrily. "What is the point of this?"

"What is the point of anything?" he asked with a grin. "Pleasure, pain, excitement, fun. I can accomplish all of these things in one simple trip."

She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of reacting, but she couldn't help it. She shot him an angry glance, then turned away.

Klaus grinned, then turned his attention to the waitress who had just approached the table. He ordered drinks for everyone at the table, then began a discussion with Clark, which Vella did her best to ignore. She was too busy scanning the room for people she knew, to listen to their rambling.

It was only a short time later, when Vella noticed Caroline skulking around trying to go unnoticed. She knew if she had seen her, so had Klaus, or at the very least Elijah. She knew it was only a matter of time before someone else she knew showed up. She desperately hoped it wouldn't be Damon. She didn't think she would be able to control herself.

As if almost on cue, Damon flew through the door in a hurry, heading right to their table. She could feel Klaus's anticipation growing into excitement as he nodded towards Clark, who moved out of his seat to the next table and Damon sat down in the empty spot.

Damon wasn't sure what to do or say, he was both fearful and livid. In the end, his anger won out.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked glaring at Klaus.

He laughed in response, smirking in amusement. "Would you be happier if I kept her locked up?"

"I would be happier if you let her go."

"I'm afraid that's not possible. You're just going to have to get used to being alone."

Vella was upset, all she wanted to do was comfort Damon, let him know everything would be okay. But as she tried to reach her hand across the table, Klaus snatched her by the wrist, shooting her a warning glance. It only served to enrage Damon.

"Get your filthy hands off of her!"

"What are you going to do, Damon?" Klaus taunted. "Are you going to attack me in a room full of people?"

He swallowed hard, glaring angrily. He knew he had to calm himself down, but he wasn't having much luck.

"Damon," Vella called. "Please go home. Can't you see this is what he wants? He gets his thrills watching our pain."

"Actually," Klaus interrupted. "That's only part of the reason we're here, my dear." She narrowed her eyes at him as he spoke. "I wanted your lovely husband to know what we'll be up to tonight."

"I already know you're gonna try to raise Katherine tonight. We're gonna be there to stop you."

He laughed. "You can always try, but you won't succeed. Your wife will see to that."

She squirmed uncomfortably in her seat, trying to avoid Damon's gaze.

"Once you've got what you want you can let her go."

"Is that what you think I'm going to do?" he replied with a malicious grin. "Your wife is mine now. The only place she'll be going is with me."

Damon was unable to control himself any longer, his face began to change as he went to get up form his seat. Vella barely had a chance to cut the power in the room, before anyone could see his face. Her anger was almost at its limit. Apparently, Clark wasn't as strong as her anger, even though he had tried to stop her.

"Enough!" she said to Damon firmly, while watching the chaos the sudden darkness had created around the room.

"No, please, Damon. Reveal yourself to everyone here," Klaus taunted. "That would be very amusing to watch."

He wanted to kill Klaus were he sat, but he knew he couldn't do that in a room full of people, even if he had brought a stake with him. He looked upon the frightened eyes of his wife, cringing inside. It hurt him so deeply that she was suffering and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Go, Damon, please," she pleaded desperately. Her eyes speaking much more than her words.

Damon understood the look, just as much as her words. She was in pain because he was there and he didn't want to cause her any more pain than was necessary. He shot her a loving look, mouthing, "_I love you_," then left the table quickly.

Vella fought her emotions desperately, holding back tears that were threatening to spill. She mouthed the same to Damon before he left, biting her tongue to keep herself from crying out after him.

"You did very well, Vella," Klaus said. "I'm very impressed."

She glared at him furiously in response. "Go to hell!"

"Now, now, Vella. I thought we we're finally getting along," he mocked her.

Her glare intensified as she looked into his cold, hard eyes. When she couldn't take it anymore, she turned and made to get up from her seat, but he grabbed her wrist tight, pulling her down on the seat with a rough jerk.

"I warned you, didn't I?"

"Let go of me."

"Not until you understand," he replied coldly. "Do you really want to be responsible for the deaths of all the patrons of this establishment?"

She looked away, avoiding his steely gaze. She knew what he was capable of and she didn't doubt he would follow through with his threats.

"Now that we understand each other—we can finish our drinks and leave," he said, releasing his grip on her hand.

Vella sat uncomfortably, waiting for Klaus and Elijah to finish their drinks. They didn't seem to be in any hurry, which she was sure was just to cause her more distress. She tried not to let it bother her, but all she wanted to do was leave. She angered him when she refused to finish her drink, but he didn't make a huge issue out of it.

They were about to leave, when someone else showed up, sitting down in the same spot Damon had occupied only a short time before.

"Why have you come here?" Klaus asked the man irritably.

"I"ve come to beg for my daughter's life," John replied.

"John, you shouldn't have come," Vella said sadly. "Go back to the boarding house where you'll be safe."

"Yes, _John_. You should listen to her," he said, shooting Elijah a knowing glance.

"Do it and you'll be sorry, Klaus," she threatened.

He studied her shrewdly, then nodded to his brother, who relaxed in his seat.

"Go, now," she begged. "Please."

"I can't leave now, Vella. Not while you're in danger."

"If you want to help me then go. That's what I want from you, that's what I need."

He looked upon the sorrowful face of his daughter sadly, regretfully. He wanted to do anything to help her, but he knew he couldn't do anything, not now. "Okay, I'll go. But you have to promise me something first."

"I'll be okay, John."

He shook his head, smiling sadly, then left without another word.

Klaus leaned over, whispering in her ear. "It's sad to watch, isn't it? The way they act like you're already dead. Like they've given up on you."

Vella clenched her hands into fists, fighting with her anger. She glared at him even more furiously, while he grinned at her malevolently. She closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths, trying desperately to calm herself. Although she knew it was the reaction he had wanted from her, it was difficult not to play into his game. It was almost a minute later, before she was able to unclench her fists again and open her eyes.

"Ah, very good," he praised her. "Now that wasn't so difficult was it?"

It was difficult, but she managed to keep her cool. She hoped if she behaved herself, he would take her out of here and not have to see anymore sad looks from her loved ones. It was more painful than anything else Klaus could ever do to her.

"Let us go, brother," he said to Elijah. "We have some things to prepare for tonight."

**A/N: I don't think Klaus' plan to break Vella worked very well, do you? But now that we know what he is planning, do you think they'll be able to stop it?**

**Thanks for reading!**


	104. Chapter 104

Chapter 104 ~ The Raising

When Vella was brought back to the farmhouse, she was sent to the bedroom they were calling hers. She didn't care what they called it, she was just happy to have a small space to herself. She'd always preferred solitude to being around a large crowd of people, especially people she didn't know, or like. The farmhouse had a large abundance of both.

She'd been lying face down on the bed, her face buried in the pillows, when Elijah walked in. She'd been so deep in thought she wouldn't have heard him if he hadn't cleared his throat loudly, making her turn around quickly.

"Klaus wants you to study the spell you'll be using, so there isn't any mistakes," he said, holding out an old book.

She got off of the bed, taking the book from his hands and placed it on the bed gingerly. She eyed him warily, as if waiting for something more.

"Is there something you want?" he asked curiously.

"No," she replied, turning around and sitting on the bed.

He stood watching her for a few minutes, while she flipped though the book, stopping at the final pages. Before he turned to leave, he whispered quietly, "You'd better not mess this up." Then left the room quickly.

Vella was able to relax once he left. She didn't like anyone watching her under normal circumstances, and this was definitely not normal. She laid down on her stomach, studying the old spell in the dusty old book. It seemed uncomplicated and pretty straight forward, she didn't think she would have a problem with the spell, it was the drawing of energy that would be difficult, and possibly the interruptions. She knew Damon and Stefan wouldn't allow Katherine to be raised, but she feared what might happen if they interfered with the actual spell. She hoped that if no one else understood how dangerous it could be for her, Damon would.

At some point she fell asleep, awakened by a high pitched scream coming from downstairs. She climbed out of the bed and was about to head downstairs to find out what was going on, when Klaus burst into the bedroom, dragging a screaming young woman with him.

"I'm sorry to wake you, my dear, but it's time to eat," he said grinning., while holding on tightly to the screaming woman.

"No, thanks. I'm not hungry," she replied quickly, looking away.

He laughed coldly. "You know that you are, Vella. Don't deny yourself nourishment when it's right here for the taking."

"I know you want me to kill her, but I won't," she replied adamantly, the woman was now whimpering loudly.

"She's going to die regardless of your feelings about the situation, Vella," he explained, shaking the woman violently, stifling her screams for a moment. "Only this way, you'll get to choose how. Either kill her quickly and painlessly, or—I will carve her up, draining her blood all while you watch, then hold you down and feed you myself." His face was now contorted in anger.

Vella couldn't kill an innocent woman, it wasn't in her, predator or not. But she knew Klaus wasn't lying, he would kill the woman painfully and make her watch. She didn't think she could bare to watch, or listen, to some innocent woman being tortured and killed. She shot him a furious look, sighed, then slumped her shoulders in defeat.

"That's my girl," he said with a sneer.

Vella approached the woman slowly, looking apologetic, all the while the woman was begging for her life. She took the woman's arm from Klaus, forcing her to look into her eyes. "You're not going to be afraid and you're not going to feel a thing," she said, compelling her. The woman quieted down instantly.

It was difficult, but Vella managed to make her fangs descend, piercing the flesh on the woman's throat. She drank her blood, until she collapsed in her arms, then drank a little more. She'd tried to avoid looking at Klaus, but he made a point to watch her intently, his face grinning with twisted pleasure. It made her feel even worse.

"Why do you feel bad, Vella?" he asked curiously, while taking the woman's dead body from her. "This is what vampires are supposed to do. Why do you fight so hard against your nature?"

She turned her back to him, wiping the blood from her face. She felt ashamed for what she'd done, even though she'd had little choice in the matter. While it was a small consolation, at least the woman hadn't suffered needlessly, if only she could say the same about herself.

"Your existence would be less painful if you just embraced your true feelings and nature," he replied, handing the body over to one of his minions who'd been waiting outside the door.

"Is that what you're intentions are?" she inquired harshly, turning around to face him. "To make me become like you?"

He laughed slightly, grinning. "You could never become like me."

"Thank heavens for that," she replied narrowing her eyes. "I don't want to be anything like you. You're an evil son of a bitch!"

He laughed loudly in amusement. "I've been called evil before. But how does one truly judge me as evil? Because I feed on my prey, which just happens to be human beings? Do you call a lion who eats a gazelle evil? I'm just eating for nourishment, just like any other creature on this planet."

She shook her head in disgust. "I bet you've rehearsed this speech, but I'm not buying it. You have free will, just as human beings do. You don't have to kill but you enjoy it. That's what makes you evil."

He narrowed her eyes shrewdly. "Can _you_ truly judge me, Vella? Have you ever killed someone just for the fun of it? Or someone you thought deserved it? Criminals, perhaps?"

She felt a wave of guilt wash through her as he mentioned her past indiscretions. She hadn't thought about those crimes in a long time, at least not since she'd been 'reborn'. But there was a difference between her then, and Klaus now. He kills purely for the fun and enjoyment of inflicting pain on people.

"I didn't do any of that for fun!" she said indignantly.

"Oh, but it was fun, wasn't it?" he asked smirking. "I told you before, you can lie to me, but you can't lie to yourself."

"I've made my share of mistakes and I've tried to make up for them, but you don't see any of your actions as mistakes."

"Do you want to know what I find truly amusing?" She rolled her eyes. "How much innocent blood do you think your beloved husband has spilled?"

"Leave Damon out of this!"

"There was a time he killed purely for fun and entertainment. But you don't like to think about that, do you?"

"People change and so has he."

"Is that what you think?" he laughed. "The moment he's tired of you he'll revert back to his old self. It's only a matter of time."

She knew he was trying to get a reaction out of her, but she couldn't help herself. He knew all of the right buttons to press to make her upset. She felt the anger bubbling up inside her, ready to burst. She turned her back to him, fighting for control of her emotions. When she turned around, he was right behind her.

"Get the hell away from me!" she yelled angrily. She raised her hand to try and slap him, but he was faster, catching her by the wrist.

Klaus pulled her close, smiling strangely. Taking his other hand, he stroked her hair, while Vella flinched at his touch.

"He doesn't even know how lucky he is," he whispered into her ear.

Vella shuddered, trying to pull away from his touch, it made her feel sick inside. No matter how hard she pulled, she couldn't manage to free herself from his grip. She closed her eyes as he leaned closer to her neck, fighting back tears.

He hovered near her neck for a moment, enjoying her scent, the scent of fear. She could act brave all she wanted to, but she could never hide the smell of fear from him, and he relished in it. He chuckled quietly, then released his grip on her wrist.

She absentmindedly rubbed her wrist where he'd been holding her while she backed away from him. She turned her back to him once again, hoping he would leave. She heard him chuckle again softly. "You'd better get some rest. You're going to need it tonight," he suggested, before leaving the room.

Vella sighed with relief, throwing herself on the bed. She curled up under the covers almost in a fetal position, sobbing. Eventually she fell into a restless sleep, waking to the sound of the bedroom door slamming.

She opened her eyes quickly, scanning the room. Elijah was standing in front of the bedroom door, his face stoic.

"It's time to go."

Vella climbed out of bed, walking over to the dresser, finding a hairbrush waiting for her. She brushed her hair thoroughly—much to the annoyance of Elijah—grabbed the old spell book, and followed him from the room. As they passed the livingroom, the vampires assembled stared at her as she walked by, she could feel their eyes on her as she walked into the kitchen.

Klaus was waiting for her just inside the kitchen, smiling as she entered. Her stomach turned as her eyes fell upon his face. He reached out for her hand, which she pulled away from automatically, his smile disappearing.

"Do I need to remind you what will happen if you disobey me?"

She shook her head meekly, averting her eyes.

He reached out again, grabbing her hand, squeezing it tighter than was necessary. "I've had my minions out all day keeping your friends away. As long as you do your job properly, we shouldn't have any problems."

She wasn't sure why, but she was slightly insulted. She turned to him, narrowing her eyes. "As long as you do your job and keep the spell from being interrupted everything will be fine."

He studied her carefully for a moment, pleased with her confidence. "Clark will be right there with you, just in case."

"Don't you mean, in case I try something?"

"Of course," he replied with a grin. "I'm confident you won't have an issue with this spell. I just wanted to make sure you understood how everything works."

"I think you've made things clear, several times."

"Is there anything you'll be needing before we leave?"

She had so many things she wanted to say in response to his question, but she decided to keep her mouth shut. This wasn't the time. Not yet.

"You know what I need for the spell, don't you?" she asked sarcastically.

He narrowed his eyes and nodded, but didn't react to her tone of voice. He didn't want to do anything to upset her right now, but he would remember to show her who was in charge later. He nodded knowingly to Elijah, then headed out of the house, dragging Vella with him by the wrist.

Vella's legs felt like jello as they ran towards their destination. She was sure that if Klaus hadn't been practically dragging her, she wouldn't have been able to make her legs move at all. Her stomach was churning nervously the closer they got to the place Katherine had been buried. While she hadn't voiced her concern to Klaus, she was skeptical the spell would even work properly, since Katherine's body had been torn into pieces before it was buried, but that wasn't her problem. However, she hoped she was right. She never wanted to see her again.

As they crested the hill that lay close to Katherine's final resting place, Vella felt several familiar presences nearby in the darkness. She knew Klaus did as well, when he tightened his grip on her wrist. She didn't understand why he would be so insecure, he had more than double the minions scattered within the area than the night Elijah had attacked her, on top of the ten or so that were escorting them right now. But when they came closer to the spot her body was buried, she saw the reason with her own eyes.

Klaus shot Elijah a knowing glance, who in turn handed a covered bowl and a small pouch over to him, then moved forward with Clark directly beside him. They strode forward confidently, stopping half the distance between Klaus and Vella, and Damon and Stefan.

"If you want Vella unharmed, you'd better not interfere," Elijah announced.

"How about you we kill you and Klaus and take her back ourselves?" Damon retorted.

He laughed. "I will admit it would be amusing to slaughter all of you, but we don't really have the time for that right now."

Bonnie came running from behind the Salvatore brothers, stopping beside Stefan. "I won't allow this spell to be performed."

Klaus chuckled, whispering into Vella's ear. "She's no match for you and she knows it."

Vella was scarcely paying attention to what he said, she was too busy watching Damon, her eyes filled with sorrow. She wanted to run to him, but Klaus kept a tight grip on her wrist. Even if she could have gotten free, there were too many others who would stop her before she made it to him. She knew it was hopeless, but that didn't stop her from wishing it were possible.

Vella had been so wrapped up in her own thoughts, she hadn't been listening to the banter between Elijah and Damon, but she did notice the three werewolves now standing beside Bonnie. She wished she'd been paying attention to what had been going on, she was curious who the other two werewolves were and where they had come from.

"Let us go," Klaus whispered in her ear, then began to walk towards Katherine's resting place, still dragging her by the wrist. All she could do was let herself be led, hoping this nightmare would be over soon.

As they stopped in front of the burial spot, Vella suddenly felt an incredible amount of mystical energy being drawn around her. She turned around and noticed Bonnie fighting with two other witches. She hadn't realized Klaus had any other witch minions, other than the three she had killed, but she figured he must have been keeping them hidden just in case. Clark seemed to be standing by observing, but not participating, he seemed to be the only one not in the midst of a melee, as everyone else now seemed to be, except herself and Klaus.

Klaus thrusted the covered bowl and small pouch—he had received from Elijah earlier—into her hands. "Begin now!" he yelled impatiently. "The sooner this is over with, the sooner the battle ends."

The last thing Vella wanted to do was cast this spell, but he had been right about one thing, the battle would end sooner if she hurried up, and she wanted it—needed it—to end. She didn't want anyone she cared about to get hurt and the longer the fight, the better chance someone would get hurt, or worse. It was the only motivation she needed.

She ignited a large circle of magical fire around her and the burial spot, cutting off the area from everyone, though she noticed Klaus stayed very near, and so did Clark. She took the cover off of the bowl and poured Damon's blood on the ground, using it to draw a symbol. Then she reached into the small pouch, taking out an old looking ring she knew had been Katherine's, holding it tightly in her palm. She began to pull in energy, channeling from as many sources as she could, being careful to avoid Bonnie's interference. She had a small moment of doubt, as she looked through the fire, watching her friends–and Damon–fighting for her, but she dismissed those feelings as quickly as they came, she couldn't allow anything to disrupt the spell for her sake, and the sake of her friends. She began to chant, reciting the spell she had already commited to memory. It was a simple spell, but took an inordinate amount of energy to cast it properly, so much energy, few witches would be able to accomplish it and survive.

It was only a few minutes later, when the ground where Katherine was buried, began to shake slightly, the dirt moving aside in small clumps, beginning to open a hole. This was the part where Vella almost messed up the spell. It wasn't intentional, but the fear she felt about seeing Katherine again almost held her back, but she managed to get past it by closing her eyes. But as the ground began to shake much more violently, the dirt flying around furiously as if being dug up by a crazed dog, she had to open her eyes. She was horrified to see a gray hand trying to dig itself out of the ground, making her stomach lurch. She chanted for a few more moments, a head beginning to appear from the dirt, then she fell backwards into the grass, the magical fire disappearing. She fought to keep her eyes open, but it was too difficult, so she gave in, letting sleep wash over her.

The battlefield became still and silent the moment Vella fell backwards and the fire extinguished. Everyone was watching as Katherine's gray body began to crawl out of the dirt, looking vaguely like something from a zombie movie.

Damon had only one thought as everyone was mesmerised by the horrific scene; rescue Vella. He noticed Klaus was too busy watching Katherine, so he decided to make use of his distraction, dashing as fast as he could towards her. Little did he know that Klaus was actually paying attention, hoping for a moment exactly like this. Before Damon was even close enough, he grabbed her into his arms, throwing her over his shoulder, glancing at Damon tauntingly.

Damon stopped short, not wanting to get any closer. "Let her go!" he yelled. "You got what you want, now let her go."

"Did you really think that was what was gonna happen?" he laughed evilly. "I truly have no idea what she sees in you, Damon. You're not very bright."

"Insulting me isn't going to get you anywhere."

"Perhaps," he said, narrowing his eyes and grinning. "But I'm the one holding all the cards, so to speak."

Damon was angry beyond belief, but it was his wife's safety that kept him able to contain the rage inside of him. His eyes shifted from Klaus, to Katherine, who was now almost completely out of the dirt, Elijah standing beside her. He stood unsure, not knowing what to do, but his few seconds of hesitation was all that was needed. Suddenly a very dense fog seemed to roll in, so thick it seemed solid. It blanketed much of the area for only a few moments, but once it was gone, so was Klaus, Vella, Elijah and Katherine.

Damon flew into a rage, screaming at the top of his lungs. He was unable to think about anything, only his primal rage, as he made short work of the few vampires who were still around. He also managed to kill the last living witch, who'd been lying on the ground feigning dead when she was only injured. Once the last living thing—that wasn't a friend—had stopped moving, Damon hunched over, his hands on his knees, breathing heavily, trying to gain control over himself.

Stefan tried to help his brother, speaking a few words of support, laying a hand on his back, but it was going to take more than that to snap him out of his state of mind. Without a second thought, he slapped Damon across the face, who immediately reacted by glaring at his brother menacingly.

"I'm fine!" Damon screamed harshly. "Try that again and you'll be on your ass!"

Stefan ignored his outburst, looking at him apologetically. "I'm sorry, Damon."

"Don't apologize to me, brother! We didn't fail! We couldn't have!" he yelled frantically. "Why aren't we chasing their asses down? Let's go get them!"

Stefan grabbed a hold of his brother by the shoulders, shaking him violently. "Damon!"

The shaking snapped him out of his frenzy, leaving him looking sad and desperate. His brother hated to see him like this, knowing that a desperate Damon, was a dangerous Damon, to both himself and others. He hadn't seen him this desperate in so long he was afraid. His brother shook his arms off, sitting down on the ground with his head on his knees.

He knew Damon needed space, so he decided to leave him alone, but he would keep an eye out, in case he tried something foolish, like going after Klaus. He walked over to Bonnie, who was sitting up against a large rock that was protruding from the ground, her head back and eyes closed.

"How are you feeling, Bonnie?" he asked with concern.

She opened her eyes, eyeing him wearily. "Nothing a good night's sleep won't cure."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," she replied as she reached out her hand to him so he could help her stand. "I'm going to go home and get some rest. I'll be by later, after I've rested."

"Do you want me to walk you to your car?"

"No, I'm fine, really." She glanced over in Damon's direction. "I think you'd better stay here."

He nodded knowingly, thanking her again for her help, then watched her walking to her car until she was no longer visible. He was about to check on Damon, when Caroline came running from the direction Klaus had escaped from.

"Is something wrong, Caroline?"

She stopped quickly, looking slightly flustered. "Not exactly. It's just..."

He eyed her with concern. It was rare she was struck speechless. "What is it?"

"Tyler freaked out, chasing after Klaus. It took me and his uncle to stop him. Then we couldn't find John and—well, everyone is upset and I don't like any of it."

He smiled supportively, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. "None of us do, Caroline." He glanced towards his brother. "I think I better check on Tyler. Can you stay here and keep an eye on Damon, please?"

She nodded once in agreement and he smiled thankfully in return. He paused for a moment, hoping he wasn't making a mistake leaving his brother with Caroline, but he didn't have much of a choice, he had to check on Tyler. He took off quickly, in the direction she had indicated.

It was only moments before Stefan came upon Tyler, who was back in his human form, naked, sitting in the grass, the two other werewolves sitting on their haunches beside him, their tongues hanging out of their mouths.

"Tyler," he called hesitantly. "Are you okay?"

He scarcely looked up, avoiding his gaze. "Yeah, I'm just fine," he replied sarcastically.

"We're all upset, Tyler, but we don't have the luxury of sitting here and brooding about it right now," he said sternly. "I think Damon's about to lose it, but more importantly, the sun's about to come up. We need to get John home quickly. He's going to feel very disconcerted when he changes back to himself."

Tyler turned to the werewolf to his left and sighed. "You're right. Vella would never forgive me if I let something happen to her father." A look of sadness passed through Stefan's eyes as he mentioned her name.

"Let's get back to Damon, before he does something foolish."

Tyler nodded once, changed back into his werewolf form, following closely behind. His uncle and John, close behind him.

Vella opened her eyes tenatively, afraid of what she might catch a glimpse of if she opened them too quickly, but all she saw were the white walls of 'her' bedroom. She shuddered slightly as she remembered her last moments of lucidity, before passing out from pain and exhaustion. Her thoughts drifted to Damon as she tried to forget the horrifying image of Katherine rising from the ground. Was he okay? Was everyone else okay? Who were the other two werewolves? She had so many questions and no one to answer them for her. She just wanted out of this place so badly, but she knew she was stuck here as long as Klaus wanted her to be.

Klaus walked into the room at the exact moment she had thought about it, making her shudder. She hated how he always seemed to know when she was awake, or thinking about him.

"It's wonderful to see you're awake," he remarked with a smile that made her shudder.

"What do you want?" she snapped weakly, her head spinning slightly as she sat up.

He narrowed his eyes. "It seems you're once again strong enough to forget who's in charge here." He dashed at her, grabbing her by the back of her head, pulling her hair, placing his face only inches from hers. "I think you need to be reminded of your place." She swallowed hard, closing her eyes. He moved his face closer, barely brushing his lips on the side of her cheek. Moving nearer her neck he brushed his lips along her jawline, then with practiced precision he pierced her neck with his fangs, drinking her blood while she tried to struggle against him. Her struggling ceased as she became weaker from the loss of blood.

Klaus withdrew his fangs and stepped back, releasing his grip on her hair, grinning with pleasure. He watched as she turned away, burying her face on the bed, crying.  
"I've been pretty patient with you, Vella, but no longer. You're going to learn obedience or I'll do everything I can to make you suffer until you do."

She lifted her face from the bed, glaring at him defiantly, her face wet from her tears. "I'll never be obedient to you, Klaus. Never!"

He laughed, grinning malevolently. "We'll see if you change your tune once you've been starved for a few days." He turned quickly, leaving before she even had a chance to react.

"Damn you, Klaus!" she yelled, shaking with anger and frustration.

Vella threw herself back down on the bed, burying her face in the bed and cried. She was feeling so many emotions at the same time, but the fear seemed to be more dominant, fear for herself, as well as Damon. She almost hated to think about him, worrying about him, she missed him so much, but he was the only bright spot she could hold on to while she was a prisoner. She held onto her thoughts of him hopefully, knowing she could get through anything as long as he was waiting for her. It wasn't long before her cries eventually turned to sobbing, the tears unable to fall any longer. She rubbed her sore eyes, pulled the covers over her face and eventually fell asleep, as much from her sadness as it was exhaustion and lack of blood.

**A/N: So now that Katherine is back, what do you think she's gonna do? And how do you think Damon is going to be after his "failure" to rescue his wife? And what other plans do you think Klaus has for Vella?**

**Thanks for reading!**


	105. Chapter 105

Chapter 105 ~ Katherine's Return

Damon was angry, frustrated and weary, as he walked into the boarding house, reluctantly, followed by Stefan, Caroline and John; the werewolf. He walked into the livingroom, pouring himself a drink and sat down on the couch. His brother was right behind him, his brow furrowing.

Damon sighed exaggeratedly. "What is it you're dying to say, Stefan?"

"Is this really an appropriate time for a drink?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest.

He narrowed his eyes at his brother, raising the glass and downing it's contents in one swallow, slamming the empty glass down on the end table. "When exactly would be an appropriate time, _brother_? Because I couldn't imagine a better time than this."

He shook his head with frustration. "For one thing, we have John to deal with. The sun is about to come up and he's gonna need a bit of support."

"Do I look like I give a damn about John? I could care less what happens to him."

"But Vella does and you know it. How do you think she would feel right now if she knew?"

Damon flew across the room madly, throwing a punch that connected with Stefan's shoulder, sending him flying through the doorway into the hallway. He had expected him to react to what he had said, but he hadn't been prepared for such a quick attack. He was able to stand up quickly, avoiding Damon's next punch. He dodged a few more punches, hoping that Damon would eventually slow down, but that didn't seem to work. It wasn't until there was a loud, deep howling that had come from right next to him, that Damon snapped out of his rage.

He stopped, glaring angrily at John, then shot his brother a similar glance, only with more venom. "Don't _you_ dare talk about her, Stefan! I'm warning you!"

"How is any of this is going to help?"

He glared at his brother, silently daring him to say more, but Elena walked down the stairs, interrupting them.

"What's going on?" she asked with worry.

Damon turned to glare at her, but his look softened as he glimpsed the genuine concern in her eyes. He averted his eyes, ashamed by his reaction.

"Is everyone okay?" she asked.

Stefan turned, pulling her into an embrace. He squeezed her tightly, glad she was okay. "I guess you could say that."

"Vella?"

He shook his head in response, not wanting to speak about it.

She loosened herself from Stefan's grip, walked over to Damon, hugging him supportively. "I'm so sorry, Damon."

He shook his head in response, not daring himself to speak for fear of releasing the wave of tears he was trying to keep contained. She held him in the embrace until he seemed calm, then pulled away with a questioning look.

"What about Katherine?"

Both brothers avoided her gaze, neither wanting to be the one to break the bad news, but their expressions were all the explanation she needed.

"The sun is about to come up. Is someone going to take care of uncle John?"

Stefan nodded his head, but Damon was the first to speak. "I'll do it. Not like I have anything better to do anyway," he said, glancing at the couple enviously, then at John. "Let's go," he said, then walked up the stairs, with John right behind him.

"Is Damon gonna be okay?" she asked with concern. She waited until she knew he was out of earshot.

"I don't know," he replied sadly, reaching out for Elena, embracing her tightly. "And with Katherine running around again, I'm really afraid for him, and all of us."

She sighed loudly, pulling away from him slightly. "Why don't you come back to bed with me? You must be exhausted after all that's happened tonight."

He smiled lightly, shaking his head. "I think I will, but maybe I should check on Damon first."

"I think he'll be fine for awhile," she said, gazing into his eyes. "He needs some time to himself. Let's get a few hours of sleep."

"You might be right," he said, kissing her once lightly on the forehead. "Maybe he'll manage to get some sleep too. He hasn't slept since the night before Vella was taken."

Elena broke Stefan's embrace, taking his hand and lead him up the stairs. She hesitated as they walked by the room John was staying in, but everything seemed fine so they kept going until they reached Stefan's room.

Damon was sitting on the bed in the room John was staying in, watching, waiting. As much as he hated John, he was honestly glad for the short distraction from his emotions, plus, he knew Vella would be happy if she knew he'd taken care of him. He was already afraid she would blame him for John activating his curse, he blamed himself, so why wouldn't she?

The moment the sun crested the horizon, John transformed back into himself. It took a few minutes, which Damon watched, as John writhed in pain, his limbs rearranging themselves, hair shedding, until he was lying on the floor naked, shaking violently. Damon scooped him up from the floor, wrapping a blanket around him, then helped him get into bed, covering him up. John's shaking subsided as he closed his eyes.

Damon watched over him for a few moments, before turning around quietly to walk out. But before he made it out the door, John called to him. He turned around to find John observing him shrewdly.

"Thank you," he uttered quietly.

He nodded, then turned around quickly and left, closing the door behind him. He stood in the hallway for a few moments, trying to figure out what he should do next, but he had no idea, he felt lost. He fought the urge to slump to the ground where he stood and never get up again. Instead, he managed to drag himself to his bedroom.

Damon stood at the threshhold to his bedroom, glancing around it sadly. Everything in the room reminded him of Vella, even something as simple as the curtains. He smiled sadly, thinking about the times his wife had redecorated the room to her liking, never satisfied with his choice of decor. He had allowed her to redecorate, to make her happy, even if he wasn't happy with what she'd chosen, because it made her happy, that's all he ever cared about. He closed his eyes, fighting off tears, and walked over to the bed. He sat on Vella's side and laid down on her pillow, closing his eyes. He could still smell her scent faintly on the pillowcase as he buried his face in it, finally releasing the tears he'd been holding in for hours. The release of tears helped to finally purge his mind of everything he'd been thinking and feeling, allowing himself to finally relax enough to drift off to sleep.

Vella opened her eyes slowly, letting her eyes adjust before opening them fully. She had the sensation she was being watched, an involuntary shiver ran through her at the thought. She turned her head around slowly, shuddering as she laid eyes on who it was; Katherine.

"Well, well, we meet again, Vella," she said smiling coldly. "And I hear I have you to thank for that."

She eyed her warily, not sure what was going on. She was still weak from lack of blood, all she wanted to do was go back to sleep. She didn't have the energy for much else.

"Don't you have anything to say?"

She swallowed hard. "What is it you want, Katherine?"

She grinned mischieviously. "I just wanted to thank you."

"You're _not_ welcome."

She laughed coldly, walking closer, sitting on the end of the bed. "I wanted to let you know that I'm going to make the Salvatore brothers pay for killing me. I know how much you care about both of them. I just wish I knew which one I should start with..."

"Don't you dare touch either of them, BITCH!"

She laughed maniacally. "Tough words for someone who's so weak."

"I'll show you weak," she said, concentrating. She closed her eyes, drawing in mystical energy, directing it at Katherine.

Katherine fell to her knees, gripping her head tightly in her hands, crying out in agony, while Vella smiled in pleasure. She remembered all too clearly what she'd done to her that Halloween night over two years ago when she had kidnapped her, torturing her for days. She wanted to give as much pain as she could back to her. She may have been weakened by lack of blood, but she was more than powerful enough to deal with her, especially since she'd learned a new trick. She could channel energy from Klaus through their connection without him even realizing it.

However, her victory was short lived when Elijah appeared, concerned by the screaming. He stopped long enough to figure out what was happening, then ran at Vella, slapping her hard across the face. She lost her concentration, flying back hard against the wall behind the bed. Elijah was in front of her again before she even had a chance to get her bearings, lifting her up by her neck. He was livid, glaring at her, while she struggled to get free of his grip. It wasn't until Klaus came in the room that he relented, releasing her from his grip, dropping her onto the bed.

Klaus stared at his brother angrily, ordering him to leave and to take Katherine with him. He waited until they had left, closing the door behind them, before he approached Vella. She was sitting on the bed, breathing heavily, still trying to catch her breath from being strangled. She looked at Klaus apprehensively, fighting the fear building within her. He grabbed her by the hair, pulling her up to her feet, while she shrieked in pain.

"I see you still haven't learned your lesson," he said coldly. "Do I need to explain myself again?"

She looked at him defiantly. "You never said I had to be obedient to Katherine."

He narrowed his eyes, grinning in disbelief, then pulled her hair tighter, a faint cry escaping her lips. "Are you really this brave, or just stupid?"

She continued to look defiantly, although involuntary tears were developing in her eyes.

He grinned deviously. "I think maybe it's a bit of both in your case," he said, laughing with pleasure. He brought her face closer to his, tightening his grip on her hair even more. "Your existence would be much less painful if you just did as I ask."

"That's where you're wrong. It would be more painful for me to do as you ask. I would rather be dead."

"I can arrange that, if that's what you wish."

"That's what you're going to do with me in the end anyway."

"But it's the journey to get there—"

She wanted to tell him to kill her and get it over with, but she couldn't make the words come out, instead, she chose not to say anything.

He studied her for a moment, releasing his hold on her hair and wrapped his arm around her waist. "I have big plans for you, Vella. None of which have to do with me killing you, no matter how much your eyes beg me to."

She swallowed hard, looking desperate.

"Yes, Vella, that's right," he said, smiling sadistically. "You're going to be with me for eternity. It may take a very long time, but eventually you'll come around. After all, I have all the time in the world."

"You can keep me a prisoner forever, but I'll never come around and I'll never forget about Damon."

"Once Katherine is done with him—well, he'll forget all about you. If she doesn't kill him first."

She raised her hand to slap him across the face, but he caught her by the wrist, laughing with amusement.

"You know what your problem is, Klaus. You don't know what love is or how powerful it can be."

He laughed again in amusement. "Love is for the weak and foolish, my dear."

"What a sad existence," she remarked.

He narrowed his eyes, his smile fading. "Who needs love when there is desire," he said pulling her closer. He brought his lips close to hers, while she struggled to get away. He grinned, laughing sadistically once again, then released his grip from around her waist.

"Well, you'll have lots of time to think about things while you're up here alone and starving," he said coldly. "I'll make sure Katherine doesn't bother you, until she has some news for you."

She glared angrily as he left the room swiftly, without another word, closing the door tightly behind him. She listened for a few moments, then laid down in the bed, pulled the covers over her head once more and began to cry until she fell asleep.

Damon opened his eyes wearily, letting his eyes adjust to the brightness in the room. He laid in his bed awake for a long time not moving, just thinking. His body still needed sleep, but his mind wouldn't allow him to sleep any longer. He pondered about recent events for a long time, unmoving, no motivation to get out of bed.

He wasn't sure what time it was when he finally got out of bed, but the sun was beginning to go down, the sky full of shades of blues, pinks and purples. He stumbled into the bathroom to have a shower, more out of habit then a desire to be clean, he didn't really care if he was dirty or not. He'd gone to bed wearing his clothing, which were still stained with vampire blood, it hadn't mattered to him, little did any longer.

After his shower, he headed into the livingroom and poured himself a drink. He would have preferred caffeine, but he was already having a difficult time sleeping, he didn't need to be stimulated any more than he already was, he just wanted to drown himself in his sorrows. He only drank for a few minutes before his hunger reared it's ugly head, that was one of the needs he couldn't ignore no matter how much he wanted to. He was about to get up to search for some blood, when John walked in.

"Hello, Damon," he greeted him, sitting down on a chair near him. "Did you manage to get some sleep?"

He narrowed his eyes, irritated by the question. "Why is it any business of yours?"

"Why do you do that, Damon? A lot of people care about you and all you do is push them away."

He laughed in disbelief. "Are you saying you care about me, John?"

He pondered his answer for a moment before speaking. "Vella loves you very much, Damon. She would hate to know what you're doing to yourself."

"That didn't answer my question."

"Do you care about me, Damon?"

"You know the answer to that, John. I'm only tolerating you for Vella's sake."

"I feel very much the same way about you."

"If there's nothing else, John, I need to go out for a few," he said standing up.

"Actually, there is," he said standing up as well. "I just wanted to thank you for helping me out earlier."

He averted his eyes, trying to avoid his gaze. "Yeah, whatever."

"Are you feeling guilty about something, Damon?"

He laughed once in disbelief. "Why would I be feeling guilty?"

"I saw the look you gave me earlier, when you were helping me into bed. It looked like guilt to me." Damon opened his mouth to protest, but John put his hand up. "You gave me the stake, but I'm the one that killed that vampire. I didn't have to, you were right there. I knew what would happen if I did, but I didn't care." He sighed, then continued. "I know I did a lot of terrible things to Vella, and for that I'll always be sorry. I'm not sure I can ever make up for them, but I want to try. I made the choice to kill that vampire, not because I had to, but because I was angry and vengeful. I knew the consequences, just as Vella understood hers the night she gave herself to Klaus."

"That was my fault. If I hadn't—"

"Do you think she blames you?" he interrupted. "He wasn't going to give up until he had her, she understood that. At least this way no one died to make it happen."

Damon shook his head. "As crazy as it sounds for me to agree with you, you're right, she did understand. However, that gives me little comfort knowing she's a prisoner and who knows what he's doing to her." He paused for a moment, almost stopping himself from saying what he felt. "If you want me to be truthful, I could care less who had died for her, if only she was safe."

John nodded his head in agreement. "Although you didn't do it for me, thanks anyways." He turned and left the room swiftly, not giving him a chance to respond.

Damon stood motionless for a few moments, pondering his discussion with John, before heading out to do some hunting. He could've had blood from a blood bag, they had no shortage at home, but he was in the mood for fresh blood.

He headed into town, having no trouble quickly finding a victim to feed from. He was going to go straight home afterwards, but he was in town already, so he decided to stop by The Grill to have a drink, it wasn't like he had anyone waiting at home for him.

He'd only had a couple of drinks, when he decided to go home. But before he got up to leave, someone sat down beside him, commanding his attention.

"Katherine," he said with distaste. "What are you doing here?"

"Is that any way to greet a lady?" she asked sarcastically.

He laughed in disbelief. "When you see one let me know."

She glared angrily. "You wouldn't be so glib if you knew what Klaus was doing to your wife."

"Shut up, Katherine!" he warned through gritted teeth, fighting back the rage that was threatening to envelop him.

She laughed evilly, placing her hand on his arm. "You don't need her, Damon. You need a real woman, like me."

He pulled his arm out from under her hand, shooting her a warning glance. "She's the real woman, Katherine. She's always accepted me as I am, she's never tried to change me, and she doesnt play games."

She grinned deviously. "But there is something we have in common though."

"You have _nothing_ in common with her."

"That's where you're wrong," she said laughing in amusement. "She loves you _and_ your brother, just as I did."

His rage was now near the surface, ready to explode. "What you had with us wasn't love," he snapped.

"Maybe not," she mused. "But it was fun, wasn't it?"

"Go to hell, Katherine!"

She grinned. "That's where you're going to be, Damon, in hell. That's my purpose now. I'm going to torture you and your brother for what you've done to me."

"And how do you propose you'll do that, Katherine, when you're dead?" he said glaring menacingly.

"Oh, it's going to be much more difficult to kill me this time around. But, it's going to be much more fun, for me. You see, I'm going to continue to visit you with painful updates about your wife, and watch the pain and sorrow in your eyes," she paused to watch the anger building inside of Damon, laughing. "And then there's your brother. I didn't know he was dating someone who looked so much like me when I came to town last time, but Klaus told me all about her."

"You're not going to hurt, Elena!" he snapped.

She laughed, grinning wildly. "You're in love with your brother's girl too, aren't you?"

"No, but I care about her."

She laughed. "This is going to be so much more fun than I thought. I'm gonna have to thank your wife again for bringing me back."

He glared, speaking through gritted teeth. "When I have the chance, I'm going to kill you again. Only this time, I'm going to enjoy it more."

She narrowed her eyes, the grin leaving her face. "We'll see about that."

He turned his head for a moment, but when he looked back she was gone. He cursed under his breath, pulling his phone out of his pocket and texted his brother about Katherine.

"This is not good," he muttered under his breath before leaving for home.

**A/N: With Katherine loose, things can't bode well for anyone, can they? And now that John is a werewolf, how do you think Vella will feel when she finds out? If she finds out... it's beginning to seem like she'll never get away from Klaus. How much longer do you think Damon can cope with his sorrow before he does something stupid?**

**Thanks for reading!**


	106. Chapter 106

Chapter 106 ~ Just When You Thought It Couldn't Get Any Worse

Stefan was pacing anxiously in the livingroom when Damon arrived home. He was overly agitated, something Damon hadn't seen in a long time. His brother was usually cool in a crisis. He understood how he felt, but this wasn't the time for him to be acting this way. They all needed to keep a straight head, Katherine could be ruthless, without Klaus' assistance.

"Have a drink, Stefan. It'll calm your nerves."

He stopped pacing, glancing at him with irritation. "You're the last one who should be giving advice on how to calm nerves."

He narrowed his eyes a moment, then let it slide. He was still angry with his brother, but they needed to be united, to stand against Katherine, and Klaus.

"It's not time to be fighting—brother."

"I know you're right," he replied. "But that's all you've been doing with me lately. Different when the shoe is on the other foot, isn't it?"

Damon laughed incredulously. "Just because we need to work together, doesn't mean I won't take you down a few pegs."

Stefan studied his brother for a moment, before looking away. He wasn't really in the mood to fight with his brother, he was just incredibly frustrated, and fearful. There were moments in his life he thought he'd lost hope, but none of them compared to what was going on now. He was unsure how he was going to protect everyone that he cared about, and it pained him deeply.

"First things first," Damon said as he poured himself a drink. "We need to deal with Katherine."

"We also need to figure out what Klaus is up to."

"Don't you think I know that, Stefan," he replied defensively. "But Katherine is going to make that nearly impossible. We need to get rid of her first."

His brother was about to reply, when someone rang the doorbell. He looked at him for a moment, before answering the door.

"Hey, Stefan," Tyler greeted him. "My uncle Mason was hoping to talk to you and Damon, if you're not busy."

Tyler's uncle stepped out of the shadows, his hand extended in greeted. Stefan took the proffered hand, shaking it in greeting, then invited the two men in.

"I thought I smelled dog," Damon joked as Stefan and the two guests walked into the livingroom. Tyler glared at him in response, but Mason kept his cool, still smiling.

Stefan turned to the guests looking apologetic. "I'm sorry for Damon's rudeness, he's a bit on edge."

"It's understandable," Mason said, never losing his smile. "I have something important to discuss with both of you. It's the only reason I'm here."

Damon drank from his glass, rolling his eyes heavily. "You mean we don't have enough problems, you've come to give us more?"

"Quit being such a dick!" Tyler said angrily.

Normally, Damon would have attacked him for saying such a thing, but he knew he had to keep his cool. He couldn't afford to alienate any of his allies, even if he didn't particularly like them.

Tyler's uncle hushed him, before turning back to Stefan and Damon. "I don't want to take up too much of your time, but this can't wait." He sat down on the couch, waiting for everyone else to sit as well. Tyler sat beside him, while Stefan and Damon each chose a chair across from the couch.

"Before I explain everything, you need to understand that I'm only telling you this because it's necessary," Mason began. "Like the Original vampires, who are the origin of all vampires, there are the Firsts, or the First Alphas, as some like to call them, the origin of all werewolves. Their bloodline is responsible for almost every single werewolf in existence, except for the ones who were cursed by witches."

"This is all very interesting, but what's the point of this history lesson?" Damon asked impatiently.

Mason sighed, slightly annoyed. "Like the Originals, they have special abilities the rest of the werewolves do not. They can change into a werewolf at any time of the day or night. And one bite from them is fatal to vampires, including the Originals."

"Thanks for the warning, Mason. Now if you don't mind—"

"I'm not done," Mason interrupted.

Stefan flashed his brother a hard look, which Damon answered by rolling his eyes.

"Klaus has been trying to eradicate the Firsts for many millenia. He fears them and for good reason. But up until recently, they weren't worried about him."

"Why recently?" Stefan asked.

"The Firsts have known for some time that Klaus has a spell that could weaken them. But up until recently, there wasn't a witch alive that was powerful enough to cast it."

"Vella," Damon mumbled, his eyes growing wide with realization.

"Yes, Damon. He needs your wife for this spell. She's the only one who can cast this spell successfully."

"How do they know? Why can't it be cast by more than one witch?" he asked desperately.

"You would have to ask them, Damon. I'm sorry. All I know is what they tell me."

"I refuse to believe it," he replied shortly. He didn't know what it all meant, but he didn't want to believe any it, especially considering the source.

"I think what my brother is trying to say is," Stefan said. "We have many questions that we'd like to know the answer to before we could commit to anything."

Damon glared at his brother. "Don't speak for me."

Mason shook his head in understanding. "The Firsts will be coming to town in a few days to speak with you. They're hoping for your cooperation."

"And why would we help them?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Damon. Tyler told me about what's been going on. That's why I came to help, but I was too late," Mason explained. "Originally, the Firsts wanted your wife dead. But I spoke to them, and they're willing to help get her back from Klaus."

"Isn't that kind of them?" he asked sarcastically.

"Damon—" Stefan called.

"No, Stefan. I don't know why I'm still here listening to this. But I do know, I'm not going to let anyone kill my wife," he said with agitation.

"If you cooperate, no harm will come to her," Mason said loudly, making sure he got his point through.

Damon narrowed his eyes at Mason angrily. "And if we don't cooperate, what then?"

"Why would you refuse?" he asked confused.

He was about to reply, but Stefan stood up, standing in front of his brother. "We're not refusing. We just need to know what we're getting ourselves into. For all we know they could be worse than Klaus."

Mason laughed for a moment, before looked apologetic. "Historically, we don't get along very well with vampires, but that doesn't have to be the case."

"Damon," Tyler interrupted. "I'm the one who told my uncle about everything. I thought he could help Vella. That's all I want is for her to be safe. I owe her so much."

Damon studied him for a moment, clearly unamused. "And because you have a little crush on her, am I right?"

He looked uncomfortable and ashamed for a moment, but didn't answer. Damon chuckled quietly.

"Thank you for your help, Mason," Stefan said, approaching him with an extended hand. Mason stood up, shaking his hand. "You've given us a lot to think about."

"I hope you'll take the Firsts up on their offer. I'd really hate to see anything happen to Vella. Tyler speaks very highly of her," Mason said as Stefan walked him and Tyler to the door.

He looked at him sadly. "She's a remarkable woman. And—Damon's lost without her. He needs her back. We all do."

Mason shook his head in understanding and left without another word, Tyler following quietly behind him.

Stefan closed the door behind them, standing pensively in the same spot for a moment, before walking back into the livingroom. Damon was waiting, glaring angrily, drink in hand. He swirled it around while staring into the glass, watching the ripples. He was trying to keep himself under control. Stefan stood watching him, understanding how he was feeling, just by his posture.

"Damon..." he began, but trailed off.

"Right now is _not_ the time, brother," he warned him harshly. "I'm barely keeping it together as it is."

"I know, Damon. But we need to discuss this."

"Discuss it!" he snarled, slamming his glass down on the table. "Don't you mean convince me to agree?"

"I don't understand why you wouldn't want to agree."

Damon stood up, clenching his hands into fists. "How do we know we can trust them? For all we know they might slaughter us all after they get what they want. Or, they might just kill Vella anyway. We don't know these creatures. Hell, I've never even heard of them."

"A couple of years ago we didn't even know werewolves existed."

"Exactly," he replied, throwing his hands in the air. "We know nothing about them. How do we know they don't have alterior motives?"

"We don't, Damon. But I don't see a lot of options."

"You know what your problem is, Stefan? You trust way too easily. But than you have nothing at stake, do you? If Vella dies, you still have Elena, don't you?"

He knew his brother was trying to pick a fight with him, and he was very tempted to lash out at him, it was what he wanted after all, but he had way more self control than that.

"What exactly are you accusing me of?"

"I heard what you said, _brother_," he spat.

He shook his head in confusion, not exactly sure what he was eluding to.

"I'm lost without Vella, huh? Is that what you're worried about? That I'm gonna lose it without her around."

"That's not what I was saying at all."

Damon closed the gap between the two of them, stopping only inches away from his brother. He studied his face for a moment, before sneering. "I've got news for you. Vella doesn't control me. I could lose it anytime I feel like letting go. I do it for her, not because of her."

"Because you truly love her, you want to make her happy."

"Yes, brother, because I love her and because she loves me. Only right now I feel like I'm letting her down. And—I can't talk to you about this." He turned his back to his brother, sighing loudly in frustration.

Stefan stared at his brother's back, his face full of shame. "Damon, I think it's time we talk about this distance between us."

Damon turned around quickly, shaking his head in disbelief. "Are you seriously going to bring this up right now?"

"Yes. It's about time we get everything out in the open and off our chests."

He snorted derisively. "You really want to do this now?"

Stefan nodded his head seriously. "I know you hate me for what I did, Damon. I don't blame you. I hate myself."

"That's because you enjoy playing the martyr, Stefan. But what you don't understand is, I don't hate you for what you did. I'm hurt, disappointed and I feel betrayed, but I don't hate you. Perhaps if I did hate you, it would make getting over it so much simpler."

"I'm sorry, Damon. If I could take things back..." he trailed off, feeling completely ashamed and full of regret. He'd never realized his brother even felt those emotions towards him.

"But you can't," he replied, sighing loudly. "You tried to take advantage of my wife, _my wife_, Stefan." His hands were now animated, flailing around, exaggerating his point. "Not a friend, a girlfriend, or even a fiance, she's _my wife_. For all you've ever faulted me for, I can take the high road on this one, brother."

"You're right, Damon. What I did was completely inexcusable. I hurt so many people with that one moment of weakness, and I have no idea how to make it better."

He smiled in disbelief, shaking his head. "It takes time to heal. You of all people should know better than anyone. I forgave you once, when I'd promised you an eternity of misery. It only took me one hundred and forty five years to get over that, Stefan."

Stefan averted his eyes, no longer able to look at his brother for all the shame he felt. He had never noticed how much his brother had changed in the past couple of years, but he should have known. He still thought of him as the cold, cruel, calculating man he'd been for as many years as he could count, but he wasn't that man any longer. He knew his brother could still be any of those things, if the situation called for it, but he was no longer. He'd been changed by love, as he'd always hoped he would be. He'd always thought it was Vella who kept him in check, when he should have realized it was Damon who had consciously made the effort to change for the better. He understood now that Damon did deserve Vella, just as she deserved him. He was the one who didn't deserve her, and at the moment, he wasn't even sure if he deserved Elena.

Things were quiet for the next few minutes. Damon sat down with a drink in hand, daydreaming about his wife. He wanted to remember the feel of her skin against his, the sound of her voice, the taste of her lips, but most of all, he wanted to remember her smiling face. It always made him happy to see a smile on her face, even in his worst moods. Her smile was the cure for whatever ailed him and he wished he could see it right now. He needed it more now than he'd ever needed it before. He closed his eyes, blinking back tears he hadn't even realized were there.

Stefan was sitting down, quietly contemplating the things his brother had said. Every so often, he glanced at his brother, but he couldn't bare to see the pain in his eyes knowing that he had caused some of it. He had to make it right somehow, even if it took another hundred years.

It was during the quiet moment between the brothers, that John and Elena walked into the livingroom, breaking the silence that had arisen between them.

"What's going on?" Elena asked, eyeing the brothers suspiciously.

Damon glanced at her quickly, before looking away. Stefan shrugged his shoulders lightly, sighing. She looked at John questioningly, but he continued to walk through the livingroom, into the kitchen.

"Is somebody going to talk, or what?" she asked impatiently.

"I'm outta here," Damon announced standing up, placing his glass on the table beside him. He paused for a moment, then left the room, and the house, slamming the door on his way out.

"What was all that about, Stefan?"

He looked at her, hanging his head in shame. "We were having a brotherly moment."

"Oh." She was curious, but decided not to ask. She was more interested in something else. "What was Tyler and his uncle doing here earlier?"

He stood up, taking her hands into his and walked her to the couch, sitting down with her. "I'll explain that to you, but not now. We need to discuss something else that's more of an immediate issue right now."

His tone of voice sounded vaguely ominous, making her begin to worry. "What is it?" she asked, trying not sound concerned.

"It's Katherine," he replied, looking frightened. "She ran into Damon earlier..." He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

"What is it, Stefan?" she asked with a slight panic in her voice.

He gazed into her eyes with fear and sadness. "She's decided to torture my brother and I by any means possible, including hurting you." He could see fear in her eyes, but he was surprised by her lack of panic. "You do now how dangerous she can be, right?"

"I do, Stefan, believe me I do. But I'm not at all surprised by this news. I'd been expecting it, sooner or later."

He smiled lovingly, gently brushing his fingertips across her cheek, then brushing stray hairs from her face. "Do you know how amazing you are?"

She returned his loving look, with one of her own. "I wouldn't say amazing, more like crazy."

He laughed gently, leaning closely, kissing her lips lightly for a moment. "If anything, you are not crazy, just brave."

"Believe me, I feel anything but brave with everything that's going on. But I know you'll do your best to protect me."

He laughed once ironically. "I'm surprised you still have that much faith in me, after all that's happened."

"I love you, Stefan," she said as she leaned in closer to kiss him. That was the moment Damon had chosen to walk into the house, after spending some time outside cooling off. Neither his brother, nor Elena had heard him, until he was standing in the doorway of the livingroom. They both turned around, looking ashamed. They'd promised to keep their displays of affection to a minimum in front of Damon, he already felt enough sorrow without Vella around, he didn't need to be reminded of what he was missing. He stood there for a moment, uncomfortable and saddened, before turning abruptly and running upstairs.

"Poor, Damon," Elena whispered sadly. "Maybe I should go talk to him."

"No, I don't think that's a good idea right now, Elena. He needs some time to think. Besides, we still need to talk."

"About what?"

"The reason Tyler and his uncle were here earlier."

Vella opened her eyes slowly, glancing around the room, before fully opening her eyes. She moaned in pain as she fought to sit up, even though she was so weak. It took a great deal of effort, but eventually, she managed to sit up, tiny daggers of pain shooting over her entire body during the effort. The pain of movement, coupled with the pain of starvation were almost enough to drive her mad. She was unsure how long she'd been asleep for, but it didn't feel long enough. She wanted to go back to sleep and not awaken until she was in Damon's arms again, but she was beginning to doubt that would ever happen.

She could tell by the amount of light that was coming in through the curtains, that it was evening, she was just unsure what day it was. For all she knew, it could be many days since she'd been asleep, or it might not. She decided to assume on the latter, since Katherine hadn't been back to bother her. She knew Katherine wouldn't leave her alone for days at a time, especially if she'd been to see Damon. The thought made her angry and sick.

She sat up in bed for awhile just thinking. No one had come to disturb her, which pleased her, but also shocked her. Klaus—or someone else—had always come up to check on her when she was awake. She wondered why this time was different, but at the same time, she didn't care. There was something she needed to do. Something that was going to be difficult at the best of times, but even more so while she was weak and in a house with another witch. But she had to try while she had the chance.

Vella closed her eyes, her right hand grasping her wedding ring tightly, it was the only thing she had with her that belonged to Damon as much as it did her. Before she began to draw in energy, she thought about the message she was trying to send, what she wanted to say. When she was positive she was ready, she began to draw the mystical energy around her. Using what little strength she had left, and what little she could draw from her weakening connection with Klaus. She concentrated as hard as she could, doing her best to ignore the sharp pain shooting through every nerve in her body. The spell was a short one, which was the only reason she'd even attempted it. She felt Clark trying to stop her, but he didn't have enough time before she completed the spell.

She braced herself for the physical onslaught she expected would be coming at any moment, but after a few minutes, no one had come upstairs to punish her. She began to wonder why Klaus hadn't come up to teach her a lesson–or perhaps Elijah–but all she could imagine was, they weren't around at the moment. She knew Clark would be sure to tell Klaus, and he would punish her, but she decided not to think about that now. She'd pretty much used all of her energy to cast the spell, and now all she wanted to do was sleep. She laid back down on the bed, curled up under the blankets, laid her head on the pillow, closing her eyes. Sleep found her almost instantly.

Damon walked into his bedroom frustrated and angry. Everything seemed to be going wrong for him lately and watching his brother and Elena together was just too much for him to handle right now. He didn't even know what to do with himself anymore. His brother had been right about one thing, he was lost without his wife.

He sat down on his bed, staring off into space, lost in his own thoughts. He was so deep in thought, he didn't even notice when John walked into the room, until he cleared his throat loudly.

"What do you want?" Damon snapped in irritation.

John gazed at him uncomfortably. "Since becoming a werewolf, I , uh, can hear much better than I used to."

"What's your point, John?" he interrupted.

"I heard what Mason Lockwood was discussing with you and your brother earlier."

"Good for you, John. You used your super werewolf hearing to eavesdrop on a conversation you weren't invited to."

"Damon, please."

"John, I don't owe you anything. So if you don't mind, I'd like to be left alone."

"Just let me say what I have to say and I'll leave." Damon glared at him, but didn't respond, so John continued. "Whether you cooperate with the Firsts or not, they will come, and they will do what they have to do to stop Klaus. I don't want Vella to be caught in the crossfire."

"Is that what you think I want to happen, John?" he asked angrily.

He shook his head. "Of course not. But that's what's going to happen if we don't try to work with them."

"And how do you know we can trust them?"

"I don't, but we don't have much of a choice."

"That's great, John. Let's just pick the lesser or two evils because we have no choice."

He looked at Damon with a fierce determination. "I know you won't believe this, but I'm not going to let anything happen to Vella, no matter what." He paused for a moment, deliberating. "I told you I knew the consequences of what I'd done that night. I just didn't tell you it was deliberate. I wanted to become a werewolf. I wanted to be stronger. I needed to be stronger, for Vella's sake."

"Are you serious, John?" he asked with shock and dismay. "You did this for Vella's sake? Seriously? Do you know how she's going to feel when she knows you allowed yourself to be cursed forever for her sake? She's gonna blame herself and she's gonna hate herself, just because you had to selfishly stick your nose into something you had no business in in the first place! Is that what you wanted?"

"Of course not," he stammered. "That wasn't my intention at all."

"That's your problem, John. You never think about the implications of your actions. And now your daughter is going to be the one suffering long after she's been saved."

John was about to open his mouth to disagree with Damon, but he realized he was right, she would feel guilty for what he'd done, especially since he'd done it for her. He suddenly felt ashamed for not thinking of how it would make his daughter feel. He was about to excuse himself, when he noticed Damon clutching at his head in pain, his face contorted in agony.

"What's going on, Damon?"

"I don't know—" he managed to say through gritted teeth. He closed his eyes, the pain too much to bare, but as he closed them, an image began to materialize, the image of his wife. He could hear her speaking to him in his head.

'_I hope you can forgive me for what's happened, Damon. I did what I had to so Klaus wouldn't hurt anyone I love, especially you. I had to make sure you understand, in case this is the last time I ever get a chance to speak to you. I love you, Damon. More than anything or anyone. Everything I've done is to keep you safe. Don't get yourself killed trying to save me, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you did. Just remember, no matter what happens, I will love you and only you...forever_.'

Once she stopped speaking, her image faded in his mind, leaving an empty feeling in his heart. He opened his eyes, which were wet with tears, and saw John's face staring at him, his eyes filled with concern.

"Get out of my face, I'm fine," Damon spat. John backed up immediately.

"What happened?"

He glanced at John sadly, sighing deeply. "It was Vella. She sent me a message."

"What did she say?" John asked eagerly.

He looked at John sadly, fighting back tears, before averting his eyes. "She said—goodbye."

**A/N: So now there are more dangerous creatures to contend with. Do you think the Salvatores should cooperate with them? Was the info about John shocking? What about Damon? Do you think he's going to lose it? Or will he manage to pull himself together with his brother's help?**

**Thanks for reading!**


	107. Chapter 107

Chapter 107 ~ Katherine's Wrath

The next time Vella's eyes opened, the sun was shining brightly through the curtains. She blinked a few times to clear them, then turned her head, gasping in shock as she laid her eyes on Klaus. He was sitting at the very end of the bed, watching her stoically. Her stomach lurched nervously, sending new waves of pain shooting through her body, making her cringe.

"I see how exhausted you are, yet you still continue to fight me," he said tonelessly. "Did you think I wouldn't find out what you did last night?"

She was too tired–and in too much pain–to fight back. She just stared at him expressionlessly, wishing he would leave.

"Still so brave," he said, almost with pride. "I'm actually surprised. Most people would have given in by now. I can't remember the last time someone fought against me as hard as you have."

"I told you I would never give in," she said, her voice cracking. The effort of talking was almost too much for her. The pain and weakness from starvation was almost completely debilitating now.

"You're right, you did," he replied, smiling with amusement. "And after last night's extracurricular activities, I should rip your heart out. But that would be too easy for you, Vella. I'm enjoying your pain too much to let you go like that."

"You bastard."

He laughed once, grinning malevolently. "You still haven't learned, have you? Maybe when you've lived as long as me you'll understand."

Vella watched as Klaus left the room without another word or glance. She was happy to finally be able to drop her brave façade, it was tiring and she was way too tired to fight. She closed her eyes again, falling asleep almost instantly.

Damon was pacing the floor of his room anxiously early in the morning. He hadn't slept at all the night before, he'd been too upset about the message he'd received from his wife. He knew she had meant well, but at the moment he was angry with her. Angry, because it sounded like she'd given up. He knew his wife's weaknesses, and giving up had never been one of them. It terrified him to imagine what Klaus could have done to her to make her give up.

Everything he'd been thinking about had escalated through the night. Everytime he thought he'd resolved one of the unanswerable questions, another popped up in it's place. It was the reason for his pacing. He couldn't sit still–or lie still–any longer. He couldn't accept his anger towards his wife, because he loved her too much to be angry with her. But if she had given up, which is what it seemed like, then he was angry with her, incredibly angry.

The problem with him being angry with her was, he loved her too much to stay angry with her. He could never hate her, even though he hated what she was doing. He wasn't used to separating his feelings. Hate usually meant hate, and love usually meant love, there was usually no gray area with him. He'd never once hated the woman he loved, but that's what his mind was telling him to feel right now, and it felt incredibly wrong.

When he finally decided he couldn't dwell on it any longer, he headed downstairs into the kitchen, made himself coffee and had some blood. He felt a little more alert after the coffee, but the blood just couldn't curb his craving this morning, not after the night he'd had. Against his better judgement, he decided to leave the house to hunt for some fresh blood.

Damon didn't have trouble finding someone to feed from, he came across a hiker in the woods not long after leaving home. He watched him quietly for a few minutes before he began to stalk him. Hiding behind trees, or in the trees, making noise so the hiker would turn around, but never find anyone.

After several minutes of this, he could feel the hiker become paranoid, his heart beat was racing and he was walking much more briskly. It was all Damon needed to run after the man, full speed, piercing his neck with his fangs, without a second thought.

He drank from the man, while he struggled in vain against him. Normally he would have stopped before he killed the man, but he couldn't, not now. He drained him completely, dropping his body unceremoniously to the ground when he was finished with him, wiping the blood from his mouth on the arm of his jacket.

Damon stood looking at the body for a moment, fighting back the guilt that had begun to wash over him. But he couldn't allow himself to feel the guilt. Instead, he embraced the rage within him and began to yell.

"I'm a vampire and it feels good to kill. No more fighting my nature, no more being good, it's brought me nothing but heartache. Everyone can just go to hell! I just don't give a damn anymore."

While it had been unexpected, the outburst felt good. He began to wonder if his brother was right, maybe Vella did keep him in check more than he'd ever realized. Right now he felt unrestricted and free, like he hadn't felt in a long time.

"Well, doesn't that look like fun," called a familiar voice from somewhere in the distance.

Damon turned around, suddenly face to face with Katherine. She was standing only a few feet away, staring at him haughtily.

"What do you want?"

"Is that any way to talk to me?"

"I could always kill you," he said, narrowing his eyes. "I think that would be much more fun than talking to you."

She grinned evilly. "Vella thinks the same way as you, but then again, she's too weak to talk right now."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Do you think Klaus is feeding her?" she asked, with a laugh. "She's difficult enough to control while she's starving."

He hated to speak with Katherine, but at least he was finding out interesting information she probably didn't even realize she was giving away. Now he knew Vella hadn't given up, at least for the majority of the time she'd been with Klaus. It made him feel a mix of emotions, but the main one was pride. He should have known she wouldn't give up so easily.

"He's underestimating her," he said with a sly grin. "Just as you're underestimating me now."

Before he'd even finished speaking, he'd made a dash towards the nearest tree, ripping off a low hanging branch, running towards her, his hand raised in attack position. But before he could get close to her, she dashed off, disappearing into the trees.

"Dammit!" he cursed loudly, throwing the branch to the ground negligently. He should have known he wouldn't be able to catch her off guard so easily, but he had tried, at least he could say that.

He wasn't sure whether he should try to follow her, or if he should call his brother and warn him she was loose somewhere nearby. But the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to find her and kill her himself. In his mind, it was all her fault any of this had happened to his wife and he wanted to be the one to make her pay for it.

He ran in the general direction he imagined she had went, which eventually led straight into town. On a hunch, he decided to go to The Grill to check on things.

When he entered, he could almost feel the tension in the air.

As his eyes scanned the room, he found Katherine sitting at a booth near the back of the room. She seemed to be watching a group of young men who were playing pool. He thought about staying at the bar and keeping an eye on her, but he didn't want to let her out of his sight.

He walked over to the booth, sitting across from her. He was glaring at her, while she was smiling deviously.

He wondered why there was a time that her smile would drive him insane, making him do anything she wanted him to do. Now all he wanted to do was drive a stake through her heart so he could watch the insincere smile fade from her face and the life disappear from her eyes–again.

"To what do I owe the honor of your presence?" she asked him mockingly.

"I'm not about to leave you loose to terrorize this town, Katherine."

She quickly moved from her spot across the table to sit beside Damon, taking one of his hands into hers.

"Do you know what's great about this town?" she whispered as she leaned towards his ear. "They all think I'm Elena. So I can do so many fun things to make her life a living hell."

"Like this," she said, pulling Damon close. She placed her lips on his to kiss him, but he pulled away.

"Try that again and I'll rip your heart out, bitch!"

She laughed as she released her grip on his hand sitting back on the seat. She gazed around the room, smiling.

"Did you see the looks they gave us?" she asked with pleasure. "It won't be long before the rumors are flying. Damon caught in public kissing his brother's girl."

It took a great deal of self-control, but he managed to keep his face even. All he wanted to do was leave, but he couldn't even do that. Someone had to be there to keep an eye on her, and unfortunately for him, he was the only one around at the moment.

He took his phone out of his pocket and sent a very quick text to his brother. It was all in short form, so he really hoped he understood what he'd meant. He didn't think he could spend much more time with Katherine. All he wanted to do was rip her into pieces and dump her dead body on Klaus' doorstep.

He was about to put his phone back into his pocket, when it went off. He glanced at it to see who it was before taking the call. It wasn't his brother, like he'd hoped it was.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Damon. Is this a good time?" Alaric asked.

"No, it isn't."

"What's going on?"

"Nothing that concerns you right now."

He sighed. "Jenna wants to come home early."

"No! You can't do that. In fact, stay longer. I'll make sure it's paid for."

"Seriously, what's going on?"

"I can't talk about it right now."

"But Jenna was hoping to be home for your anniversary party."

Damon felt a lump grow in his throat at the mention of his wedding anniversary. He'd planned something special for his wife, but he knew she'd probably still be with Klaus then. It was only a week away.

"It's been cancelled, Ric."

"What?"

"Look, I'll call you later and explain. Right now I gotta go."

He hit end on the call before Alaric could even say goodbye.

"Oooh, an anniversary party," Katherine said with a devilish smile. "I guess that's not gonna happen with the guest of honor missing, now will it?"

He narrowed his eyes dangerously as he fought to gain control over himself. It took every ounce of strength within him not to kill her here and now. He was very close to his breaking point, and at the moment, he could really care less if everyone in town knew what he was.

He was about to grab Katherine to drag her out of the room when he heard his name being called. He turned his head and saw Caroline making a beeline for the table. But as he was distracted, Katherine managed to sneak away.

"Dammit, Caroline!" he said harshly as she reached the table. "Do you realize what you've just done?"

"I didn't mean..."

"That's it! You never think! Why don't you just go home and leave the thinking to everyone else!"

He left the booth quickly and headed outside. He didn't even give Caroline a second thought, even though she looked like she was on the verge of crying. He didn't care about anything, except finding–and killing–Katherine.

He searched all over town for the next hour and some without a single clue to where she'd gone, before heading back to the boarding house.

The first thing he did when he got home was pour himself a drink. He didn't care that it was still early in the day, he desperately needed it before he lost his mind. He could feel himself reverting back to his old self. The one who had been cold and callous. The one who had pined away for a woman he thought was dead, and that he had loved with everything in him, until he found that none of it had been real. It had all been a lie. He was afraid that if that part of him came back, he would never be able to be any use to anyone again, especially Vella.

He hadn't felt so lost in a very long time. He didn't even know what he was feeling from one moment to the next. Anger, hatred, self-loathing, fear, sadness. It all seemed to blur into the one emotion; rage.

His rage had been easy to control, while Vella had been by his side. But he had no idea if he'd even see her again, let alone touch her again. Just thinking about it made his rage feel like it was about to boil over.

He was on his second drink when Elena entered the house, slamming the door loudly. She stomped straight into the livingroom stopping only feet away from Damon, glaring at him.

"What the hell is going on?" she asked furiously.

He narrowed his eyes, swallowed what was left in his glass, slamming it onto the table.

"Am I supposed to know what you're talking about?"

"I have twenty or so texts from people asking me why the hell I was kissing you at The Grill?"  
He sighed. "It was Katherine. She was there and she tried to kiss me."

"Katherine?"

"Yeah, Katherine," he replied with frustration. "She's trying to make my life a living hell. As if it isn't that way already."

"I'm sorry, Damon," she said sadly, reaching out to hold his arm supportively. "I know this hasn't been easy for you."

It took a moment, but he finally dropped his carefully constructed defenses, allowing a few tears to flow from his eyes, before reaching out to hold Elena in a comforting embrace.

Elena continued to hold him as he gently cried and for a short time after the tears had stopped. She knew how much he loved her cousin and it made her heart ache to watch Damon in so much pain.

They were still in an embrace when Stefan walked into the livingroom, looking completely livid.

He ran at his brother, grabbing him roughly pulling him away from Elena.

"What the hell is going on here?" he asked furiously.

Damon only glared at his brother, refusing to argue with him.

"Stefan," Elena called. "Nothing's going on. He was upset, that's it."

"Then what was going on at The Grill?"

"Are you a complete moron, Stefan?" he asked angrily. "Did you not read the text I sent you? I told you Katherine was at The Grill. It wasn't Elena."

Stefan's anger seemed to dissolve as he pondered what his brother had said, but it didn't disappear completely. He wasn't sure if the situation he walked in on was as innocent as they were trying to make it out to be. He wasn't sure he could trust his brother right now. Not while Vella was still being held captive. He'd made it very clear that he would pay him back someday for messing with his wife, he wondered if that was what was happening right now.

"I'm sorry," he said to both of them, although he only looked apologetically at Elena.

Elena had helped to calm Damon considerably, but his rage was never gone, only suppressed. But the sudden appearance of his brother had ruined his mood once again. He needed another drink.

Damon poured himself another drink, ignoring the self-righteous stare from his brother.

"So what are we gonna do about Katherine?" Stefan asked suddenly.

"What do you think we're gonna do, Stefan?" he asked sarcastically. "We're gonna kill her."

"Do you have a plan?"

He snorted. "You mean you don't?"

"We're never gonna accomplish anything if you keep being so difficult."

He laughed derisively. "My plan is to kill her. I'm sorry that I'm not in the right frame of mind to come up with some devious plan right now, _brother_. Perhaps you could try and step up for once in your life."

"Damon, that's uncalled for," Elena said.

"No, it isn't, Elena," he replied with irritation. "My brother always leaves the tough decisions up to me because he doesn't want to feel responsible if something happens. But the thing is, I don't care anymore."

"Damon—"

"Shut up, Stefan!" he warned. "Do you want me to be honest, brother? Because I just don't give a damn. If Vella's gonna die, I just don't care about anything anymore. Not Klaus, not Katherine, not some filthy werewolf mongrels, not even you or Elena."

"We _will_ get her back, Damon."

"That's easy for you to say, isn't it? It wasn't so easy when he had Elena though, was it?"

Stefan gazed at his brother sadly. "Vella would hate to see you like this, Damon. She's not going to give up and either should you."

"How the hell would you know, Stefan? Klaus could be torturing her for all we know. He's starving her, that much I'm sure of. Tell me, dear brother, how long would you hold on while you're starving?"

"I don't know, Damon. But, I do know she's stronger than all of us. And Katherine is our priority right now."

He stared at his brother angrily for a moment, until he had time to think, then he realized he was right. While Katherine was running loose, there was no way they could deal with Klaus.

"We've got another problem too," he said to his brother. "Alaric called earlier. He and Jenna are thinking of coming home early."

"No, they can't do that!" Elena said.

He averted his eyes from both of them, speaking softly. "Jenna was hoping to be home in time for the...Anniversary party."

"You didn't tell them?" his brother asked.

"I told him it was cancelled," he said still speaking softly.

"Doesn't he have any clue what's going on?"

"No. And unless someone's been talking to Jenna about it," he glanced quickly at Elena, "Then neither of them know."

"I'm gonna call her later and explain everything to her," Elena said, ignoring their warning looks. "They deserve to know. I don't want them coming home right now."

Damon figured that Alaric would want to come home when he found out, but he couldn't worry about that right now. He hadn't realized what it had meant at the time—thanks to Caroline's interruption—but Katherine had heard his phone conversation. She knew about the party, which had been a surprise for Vella. Now he was worried she would go back to her and ruin everything. He knew he had to find her sooner, rather than later.

"You do what you want. I need to find Katherine, _now_."

Stefan looked at his brother with concern. "I'm not letting you go alone right now."

He was about to protest, but he decided it wasn't worth his time.

"Let's go."

"Elena," Stefan said as he grasped for her hands. "Promise me you'll stay here until we get back."

"As long as you promise to be careful," she replied with concern.

"I will," he replied, then awkwardly moved to embrace her, but remembered his brother was still in the room. So instead, he squeezed her hands.

Damon sighed loudly as he left the house, his brother right on his heels.

The two brothers first headed back into town to search for clues to where Katherine might have gone, as well as making sure she wasn't there causing problems. They found no sign of her in town, so they began to search on the outskirts of town, until Damon had an idea.

They headed for the south side of town towards the warehouse Katherine had once kept Vella and Stefan captive, and the place where she'd met her death.

"Do you really think she'd want to be reminded of her death?" Stefan asked as they approached the warehouse.

"We're talking about Katherine," Damon replied. "You seem to forget she loves irony."

He glanced at his brother knowingly, shaking his head in agreement.

They separated as the reached the warehouse, each walking around one side of the building, meeting once again at the back door. They thought they'd heard voices coming from inside, but neither could be absolutely positive.

Through gestures, Damon told his brother what he expected him to do as they walked into the warehouse. He walked straight in at a casual pace, while his brother stayed off to the left side, keeping a relatively close distance, but not too close.

As they walked through the hallway that lead to the main part of the warehouse, they could hear voices but they were taking very quietly, even for vampire ears to pick up. Approaching the door, Damon opened it quickly, running through it, stopping only ten feet inside. His brother followed quickly throught he door, once again staying to the left.

Both Damon and Stefan let out a gasp as they glanced across to the middle of the room and saw Katherine, holding onto the back of the shirt of Jeremy.

"I knew you would find me, Damon," Katherine yelled with pleasure. "I just didn't realize your brother would be with you."

Damon began to approach Katherine with slow, deliberate steps, his brother now standing beside him.

As he came closer, he noticed that Jeremy's eyes seemed to be glazed with pain, that was before he noticed the smell of blood.

"Let go of him," he said furiously. "You know it's me you want, bitch. I'm the one who stabbed that stake through your heart, and you know I can't wait to do it again."

Katherine wasn't stupid, she'd been around a very long time. And while she was completely incensed, she was also very patient. She'd been to the abyss beyond, but now she was back and she intended on sticking around for a very long time.

"Come and get him if you think you can reach him before I snap his neck," she replied with a malicious grin.

He glanced at his brother with hopelessness. He knew she would do exactly as she said, and he had no idea how to stop her. He couldn't allow her to kill Jeremy, or he'd never be able to forgive himself and he was afraid Vella never would either.

He stopped about fifteen feet away—with Stefan only a few steps behind and to his left—staring at her with determination.

"Let him go, Katherine," he said calmly. "Stefan can take him out of here and you can have me all to yourself."  
A cold, calculating grin crept across her face that made both brothers wince.

"As tempting as that sounds, it's not what I want, Damon," she replied, laughing coldly.

"What do you want?"

"Revenge, what else?"

"Haven't you already done that?" Stefan asked.

"Not at all, Stefan, I've only just begun," she replied. "I want the two of you to be in pain, just as you caused me."

"We caused?" Damon snorted. "You're the one who made me like this, Katherine. You twisted me and Stefan for your own selfish needs. So whatever it is you think we've done, it was because of your own doing."

"That may well be, Damon. But you should have been thanking me for the gift I gave you."

"Thanking you? You can't be serious?"

"Without it, would you have ever met, Vella?" she asked, then glanced at Stefan. "And would you have ever met, Elena?"

"I don't have Vella at all now," Damon replied furiously.

"Oh, I know," she said with joy. "I'm enjoying the pain in your eyes immensely. And hers."

"You bitch!" he yelled while his hands clenched tightly into fists.

"But I can't let Klaus have all the fun, now can I?" she said with a heartless stare. "That's why I have Jeremy here. He's related to Elena _and_ Vella. And when both of you can't stop his death, they'll blame you. And that's when the fun really begins."

"We're not gonna allow you to hurt him," Stefan said assuredly.

Damon wasn't so sure he could stop her in time, even with his brother's help. He cursed himself for not having any vervain darts with him. He had no idea how he would ever explain things to Vella if he allowed her cousin to be killed, especially when he should know better. He should always be prepared.

"If you harm one more hair on his head, I will not rest until I've torn your heart out, Katherine," Damon said firmly.

She smiled, before emitting a cold laugh.

"I hope that's a promise," she replied, as she snapped Jeremy's neck in one fluid motion.

Damon and Stefan barely had a moment to realize what was happening, by the time his limp body fell to the floor and Katherine had disappeared.

The brothers glanced at at each other with shock and dismay, then Damon lifted Jeremy's body into his arms.

"I think you'd better go ahead and prepare Elena for this, Stefan," he said as he fought back tears.

He gazed at his brother with despair. "I don't think I can tell her, Damon."

"So I should just walk in with his dead body and say, here?"

"Can't you just give it a rest for once, Damon?"

"Suck it up, buttercup," he said as he began to walk out of the warehouse, carrying Jeremy's body gingerly.

**A/N: So how do you think Vella's going to react to the news of her cousin's death? Because you know Katherine will be sure to tell her. And I know I've been asked for more Klaus, Vella and Katherine and I promise there will be more, things just have to fall into place first.**

**I know my updates are becoming less and less frequent, but I'm having a really difficult case of writer's block. I have three stories going and I've been unable to write anything on either of them for weeks. All I can do is stare at that damn blinking cursor. Whatever I did manage to write was utter garbage, so I've spent just as much time using the backspace. I promise I will update as soon as I can though. I know where the story is going, it's just getting it together. I swear I'm trying.**

**Thanks so much for reading!**


	108. Chapter 108

Chapter 108 ~ A Fatal Mistake

Vella's eyes burned from the afternoon sunlight that was filtering through the curtains into the room. It felt entirely too bright in her weakened state. She wanted to move, but she felt like she was too weak to even turn the opposite way in the bed. Somehow, she managed to turn her whole body around, but it had taken a considerable effort.

As exhausted as she felt, she was surprised she wasn't still sleeping. Recently, she'd only been managing to wake up when someone else came into the room. She glanced at her watch, which told her she'd last been awake earlier that morning.

She felt pain welling up inside her at the thought of Katherine's visit earlier that day. She'd come to tell her that Damon had planned a big anniversary party for her, which as sweet as it was, she knew she'd never be able to attend. She'd lost complete hope of ever escaping from Klaus by this point. She only wished that Damon could move on without her.

She had only just closed her eyes when she heard the door to her room open and someone walk in. She was curious to know who it was, but at the same time, she really didn't want to know. While she was weak and her eyes were closed, her ears still worked as good as ever. She knew who it was.

Katherine.

"I know you're awake, Vella," she said snidely. "Might as well open your eyes."

She opened her eyes slowly, adjusting to the brightness in the room. A sharp pain shot through her eyeballs, making her want to close them tightly once again.

Katherine strolled over to the bed, sitting down at the foot of it. She had a grin of pure delight, it made Vella cringe inside.

"Ive been a busy girl today," Katherine began with a malicious grin. "First, I saw Damon killing some innocent hiker. I would have told you earlier but the anniversary thing was much too juicy, and I had other things to do."

"Katherine, why don't you go away? I don't really care about what's going on."

"Oh, are you sure? Because I'm sure I have some news you want to hear."

She glared at her furiously, but saved her breath. She was too tired to trade barbs with her at the moment.

Katherine smiled coldly. "I ran into your cousin Jeremy this afternoon." She smiled even more maliciously as she saw the fear in Vella's eyes. "I brought him back to the old warehouse, you know the one I tortured you in."

Vella swallowed hard, afraid to listen any longer.

"Then, Damon and Stefan showed up, such the heroes," she said with heavy sarcasm. "They tried to save him, but they weren't quick enough to stop me from snapping his neck."

"What!"

"Yeah, he's dead. What a shame."

She closed her eyes, fighting back the tears that were beginning to well up inside her. She also held her breath, afraid that if she took a breath she'd break down. But once she couldn't hold her breath any longer, she took a slow deep breath and opened her eyes.

Glaring at Katherine menacingly, she sat up in bed using all of her strength, as well as the adrenaline now coursing through her entire body.

"I am going to kill you," she screamed through gritted teeth.

Katherine was laughing as Vella stared at her irately. Her laugh, however, was only short lived. As Vella's anger rose, so did the strength she possessed within her. Her rage helped her gather as much energy from around her, including the withering connection between her and Klaus. She was so completely distraught, she didn't even care how much energy she stole from that connection, or if he figured it out. All she cared about was inflicting pain on Katherine.

In the beginning, Katherine could only laugh as a very weakened Vella tried to hurt her with magic, but it only took moments before she was clutching her head in pain, then, writhing on the floor as the pain became more intense.

Vella lost complete control of herself as one single thought ran through her head, kill Katherine. It was as if she was outside her body watching everything happen. Katherine was writhing in pain on the floor one moment, the next, she seemed to spontaneously burst into flames. However, it was the last thing she remembered as the darkness overtook her. Her body collapsing into a heap onto the floor beside the bed.

Damon hesitated outside the boarding house, carrying Jeremy's dead body carefully. He'd ran ahead of Stefan in hopes he would be able to hurry and give Elena the bad news, sooner rather than later. But now that he'd arrived at home, he found he was no braver than his brother.

He looked into the pale face of the dead boy feeling a deep sense of despair he never realized he would feel for Jeremy. At first he thought it was because he was Vella's cousin, but he quickly figured out that wasn't the only reason. He'd almost felt like Jeremy's older brother at times and he was feeling his loss as if he had been.

Stefan made it to the boarding house only minutes after his brother. He'd approached quietly hoping not to disturb Damon. But even while distracted, it was difficult to sneak up on him.

"You okay, Damon?" he asked quietly.

The sadness in his eyes spoke more than words could ever say.

"No. But it's nothing compared to how Elena is going to feel."

Stefan shook his head in solemn agreement, then opened the door to the house.

Damon paused at the door for a moment before he walked in behind his brother. He immediately heard voices coming from the livingroom, and only some of them he recognized.

His knee jerk reaction would have been to storm into the room and see who it was, but the weight he was carrying in his arms felt much heavier than his actual weight. He couldn't allow himself to be swept away by his impulsiveness, for Elena's sake.

He watched his brother walk through the threshhold of the livingroom, following slowly behind him. His eyes were solemn and positioned so he wouldn't have to see Elena's initial reaction, he didn't think he could handle that. He quickly thought about his wife, wishing she were here for him at this moment, but that thought quickly disappeared when he realized what it would have meant for her if she had been.

The moment Elena laid eyes on her brother's body she screamed a high pitched wail that tore at everyone's heart. The people who had been sitting on the couch moved immediately as Damon approached, so he could lie his body on it gingerly.

He watched as Elena threw her body on her brother, screaming and wailing, the tears flowing down her face in waves. He had to avert his eyes so he would be able keep his composure, or he was certain he would be crying as well.

He took that moment to glance across the room to see who the visitors had been. He recognized John, Tyler and his uncle Mason, but the other man he didn't.

The man wasn't remarkable looking. He had short dark hair and was an average height and weight for a man.. But something about the man sent an involuntary shiver down his spine. He noticed what it was as soon as the man turned his gaze towards him. He had dark topaz colored eyes that seemed very ancient.

Once he'd satisfied his curiosity, he turned his attention to his brother, who was now comforting Elena. He moved towards them, wrapping his arm around both his brother and Elena.

"I'm so sorry, Elena," he said quietly. "We did what we could."

She didn't reply or even acknowledge that she'd even heard him. She only continued to sob while her face was buried in Stefan's chest.

Meanwhile, John walked over to his nephew and was now on his knees on the floor in front of the couch, tears flowing freely from his eyes.

All of the sorrow in the room was making Damon feel like the walls were closing in on him, and he didn't know how to stop it before it would suffocate him. He just wanted all of it to stop.

Mason approached him, leading him away from his brother and Elena wordlessly.

"Can I speak with you outside, Damon?"

He turned to glance at him, his eyes filled with pain and anger.

"This is _not_ the time, Mason," he warned.

"Please, Damon? I only need a minute," he pleaded.

He was angry with Mason's interruption, but he had to admit it was just the distraction he needed at the moment. He desperately needed to get out of the house.

"Fine."

He walked out of the front door, not waiting for Mason to catch up. Much to his chagrin, Tyler and the unknown man had followed him outside as well.

"What's this about, Mason?" he asked impatiently.

"This is Constantine," he said as he waved the unknown man closer. "He's one of the Firsts."

He stared at him blankly. "And your point?"

The man named Constantine approached Damon, his hand extended in greeting. He waited for Damon to shake it–which he did reluctantly–then placed it back against his side.

"I'm sorry that I chose an inconvienient time to visit, but I believe this unfortunate event could benefit us both."

"Excuse me? How exactly could I benefit from the death of a boy I cared about?" he asked with venom.

"I'm sorry again. I didn't mean for it to come out that way," he replied, looking apologetic.

"Then how exactly did you mean it?"

"I'm aware that Mason has already discussed an alliance between us, but your brother and yourself were unsure if you could trust us."

"That's putting it mildly."

"We have no alterior motives, Damon. We only want Klaus dead. Once that happens, my family and I can go back home and never worry about him again."

He studied him for a moment, before replying. "And what exactly is our motivation to help you?"

"I thought Mason had already explained that?"

"He has. But I want to hear it from you," he replied shrewdly.

"Very well. If you help us stop Klaus, we will make sure no harm comes to your wife." He stopped for a moment and raised his hand when it seemed that Damon was about to interrupt. "And as a good will gesture, we will resurrect the dead boy."

"What?" Damon exclaimed, unsure he'd heard him right. "You're going to bring Jeremy back to life?"

"Yes," he replied.

Damon hated the thought of working with anyone he didn't know, especially werewolves that he'd never even knew existed until days ago. But he knew he couldn't turn down the opportunity to bring Jeremy back from the dead. He owed that to everyone who cared about him.

"Before I agree—" he said, gazing at Constantine with determination. "I have to warn you. If anything happens to my wife at the hands of any of your kin, I will spend the rest of my days hunting you all down."

He stared at him shrewdly, pondering his response. "You have my word, Damon."

Reluctantly, he took the man's hand, shaking it in agreement.

"Thank you, Damon. I truly appreciate your assistance in this matter."

"I didn't have much of a choice, did I?" he remarked sarcastically.

He ignored the comment, turning to the Lockwoods. "Shall we go inside?"

Mason and Tyler nodded, then followed Constantine back into the house, while Damon hung back for a moment to collect his thoughts.

He wanted desperately to believe that these first werewolves could be trusted, but he couldn't allow himself to believe they are trustworthy, he just couldn't. Someone had to stay on guard and he knew he couldn't leave it up to Stefan. He would just have to keep playing the bad guy. It wasn't like he gave a damn what anyone else thought.

He strode into the house a few minutes later walking immediately into the livingroom. It had been crowded before, but now that Jeremy was alive again, there seemed to be no room for anyone else.

He realized he was happy that Jeremy was living again, but he hoped that the price didn't end up being too high. He could sacrifice his pride, but he was unwilling to sacrifice his wife.

Since he was positive everything was fine, he strode upstairs to have some time to himself. He needed to think over a strategy to kill Katherine. Next to saving his wife, it was his number one priority.

Vella felt herself floating into conciousness, but her eyes felt too heavy to open. She was trying to stay concious, stay awake, but it was taking all the effort she could muster.

Once she remembered what had happened the last moment she was awake, she stayed still listening for voices but could hear nothing but silence. However, the connection with Klaus was not silent. She could hear his thoughts as clean as day, and he was not amused.

He was angry with Katherine for taunting Vella so much she almost destroyed herself as well as Katherine.

All Vella could hope was that he hadn't realized where she'd stolen most of the energy she'd used, she might need to use it again. She was also disappointed she hadn't managed to kill Katherine like she'd planned. She would have to rectify that mistake as soon as she was able.

As she contemplated her next move, she drifted off into unconciousness once more.

Damon was lying on his side on his bed when Elena walked in. He had heard her approaching before she reached the door, so he was able to prepare himself for her visit.

As he'd suspected, she'd come to thank him for agreeing to help the Firsts and in turn, saving her brother. He had tried not to respond to her rudely, but he wasn't in the mood for company. After accepting her gratefulness as graciously as he possibly could, he told her to leave.

He laid in bed for awhile just pondering ways to make Katherine pay for what she'd done to Jeremy, as well as what she'd done to Vella and himself. He thought he'd put his past behind him, but the moment she was brought back to life it was like opening the wound all over again, and it ached.

He could never truly hate her for turning him into a vampire, otherwise he never would have met Vella. But he would never forgive her for everything she had put him through, as well as turning his brother. As much as he cared for his brother, he felt just as much animosity towards him as well. And with recent events, he figured his brother should consider himself lucky he'd allowed him to live.

As much as he tried not to allow it to happen, he managed to fall asleep.

When he woke up he was angry with himself, but he knew he shouldn't be. He needed to be well rested to deal with Katherine and Klaus, and he definitely hadn't been taking care of himself. Not only was he mentally exhausted, he was physically as well. He didn't know how he expected himself to be of any use to anyone if he didn't begin to look after his needs.

After feeling sorry for himself, he decided to get out of bed and see what was going on in the house. As far as he could hear, everything was quiet. The sun was beginning to go down, so he assumed that everyone was out of the house, or at the very least keeping quiet.

He strolled into the livingroom and poured himself a drink. He sat down to enjoy it, but before he could take a sip his phone went off.

"Hello?"

"Damon, it's David."

Something in his tone made Damon feel a sense of dread.

"What's going on?"

There was a short pause on the other end before he answered.

"Mara and Anthony are missing," he replied, his voice cracking.

"What do you mean by missing?"

"She said something about Elena stopping by, but that was a couple of hours ago. She isn't answering her phone now."

Damon swallowed hard. He knew it had to be Katherine, but he didn't want to believe it could be true. He had to pause for a moment to think about what he wanted to say. He didn't want him to worry, even though he should.

"I'll find them, David. I swear."

His voice quivered as he replied. "I know you will, Damon."

Damon could tell he wanted to say something more, perhaps ask about Vella, but he was glad that he didn't, he wouldn't even know how to respond. All he knew at the moment was, he couldn't let anything happen to Mara and baby Anthony. He was positive he would never be able to look his wife in the face again if that happened, or himself.

He sent a flurried text to his brother, then rushed out of the house completely unsure of his direction. He wasn't thinking clearly, just reacting.

He was nearly at the farm house that Klaus was staying in, when he ran into his brother.

"What do you think you're doing, Damon?"

"Stefan, get the hell out of here!" he warned.

He knew his brother was desperate and possibly out of his mind. He couldn't allow him to get himself hurt or killed.

"What is this going to accomplish?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"I do, brother. And getting yourself killed is not gonna help anyone."

His tough, determined look fell away, replaced by a more helpless and pleading look.

"I can't let anything happen to Mara or Anthony," he replied breathlessly. "I have broken almost every promise to Vella. I can't break that one."

"Damon," he said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Going off half-cocked is not going to do anyone any good. Klaus might just kill them because of it."

"And he might just kill them anyway, Stefan," he replied, shrugging his brother's hand from his shoulder. "I can't allow him the chance to even try."

"This isn't the way, Damon. Let me call Bonnie, or Tyler."

He snorted loudly. "What help is the mutt and wimpy witch gonna do?"

"Damon!"

"Fine!" he screamed. "But I'm not leaving from here until I get my hands on that bitch, Katherine!"

"And I'm not going anywhere until you do, brother," he replied with determination.

He turned to his brother, studying him for a moment. "Just leave her to me."

He nodded his head in agreement, then fell into silence.

She wasn't sure how or why, but suddenly Vella seemed wide awake. Her eyes were wide open, even though she felt worse than she'd ever felt in her entire life—and unlife.

Her surprise was short lived when she heard something that made her sick to her very core—the sound of a baby screaming.

As she pushed her panic deep within her, she realized the cry of the baby seemed familiar, though at the moment her mind was still foggy and weak.

She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to listen, to concentrate. The fog in her brain was making it almost impossible to think, even when she put all of her effort into it. It seemed that she couldn't remember anything that had happened longer than the last time she'd opened her eyes. At least anything that she could remember very clearly.

Suddenly the baby cried even louder, then a woman screamed, "No! No!" over and over again. It was the voice of someone she could never forget, no matter how foggy her brain felt.

"Mara! Anthony!" she shrieked, though in her weakened state it sounded more like a hoarse whisper.

She wasn't sure how, but she knew she needed to get to her best friend and now.

Her fear turned to panic, which only subsided when she finally closed her eyes and did her best to concentrate on the connection between herself and Klaus.

It was difficult for her to maintain, but she managed to listen for a very short time to the activity downstairs. Klaus was angry with Katherine for bringing Mara and Anthony to taunt her more, while she did her best to convince him it was the only way they would be able to keep her under control. He seemed to think it might work, but he was still angry with her. He was also angry with his brother, Elijah, for siding with Katherine, yet again.

She hadn't realized until that moment that Elijah seemed to be much more concerned about Katherine than Klaus ever was, other than using her as a means to an end. She wished she had tried to keep the connection between them open, it might have led to this interesting insight sooner, but she had feared to listen to his thoughts, as many of them sickened her.

She knew now what she needed to do, but whether she had the strength or not was her immediate concern. It didn't matter whether she lived through her plan, she just needed to make sure Mara and her son made it out of the house alive. That was all that mattered to her.

With all the willpower she could muster, she managed to climb out of the bed she'd been imprisoned in by her weakness. Although she was very unsteady on her feet, she managed to hobble to the bedroom door, opening it as quietly as possible, then entered into the hallway.

After pausing for a moment to listen, she began shuffling down the hallway to the stairs, where she stopped as she grasped the railing to catch her breath. It would have been so easy for her to just give in to the debilitating pain and exhaustion at that moment, but the thought of losing another family member was not an option. She'd already lost Jeremy because of Katherine. There was no way she was going to allow her to take the closest thing she had to a sister away from her as well.

She stumbled slightly as she began descending the stairs, managing to make it to the bottom without losing her footing.

She stood in the empty livingroom for a moment before she noticed a partially empty blood bag lying on the coffee table. She didn't hesitate to pick it up and suck it as dry as she possibly could, tossing it aside when she was finished. Her need was so desperate, she'd have torn the bag apart and licked it clean if she'd had more time.

There hadn't been much in the bag, but it was enough to make Vella feel considerably better, and more confident that she would be able to accomplish the impossible task she'd set before herself. At least she hoped.

She cringed at the doorway that led to the kitchen before knocking it open widely. Everyone in the room turned in shock to see her standing there, but none as shocked as Klaus. His look seemed to turn from shock to admiration before reverting back to a cold and cruel look.

"Vella!" Mara exclaimed as she tried to shake free of Katherine's grip. She was holding on tightly to her arm, which was holding Anthony tightly. The little boy glanced over at her as her mother yelled her name.

"How nice of you to join us," Klaus said as he floated towards her, but stopped short of being within arms reach.

Elijah and one of the nameless vampires moved closer as well, but stopped as Vella gave them a warning glance.

"I thought you would have had enough sense not to try to hurt someone I care about again after what happened, Katherine," Vella said with a steely glare.

Katherine's sneer disappeared, but she still remained defiant.

"I want you to let them go," she said as she glanced at Klaus, then looked back at Katherine. "Or I'm going to finish what I started."

She laughed tauntingly. "I'm not afraid of you, Vella."

Vella turned to her best friend looking apologetically. She could only try to make her understand that she wasn't going to let anything happen to her. Not without dying herself.

Mara nodded lightly, trying her best to be brave, even though she was visibly shaking. She knew her friend would do everything to make sure she would make it out alive with her son.

"That's your problem, Katherine. You keep underestimating me."

As she spoke, Klaus began to move towards her, but he stopped instantly as she lifted her hand in a stopping motion.

"Tell her to let them go, Klaus, or your plans are going to fail," her face was stone cold serious as she looked into his eyes. "I _will_ kill myself to save them."

He continued to hold her stare for a few moments, before turning to Katherine.

"Let them go," he ordered her.

"Klaus!" she protested. "How could you let her get away with this?"

"Do what I say, Katerina!"

She glared angrily at Klaus, then Vella, before reluctantly releasing her grip on Mara's arm.

As Mara began to slowly move towards Vella, Katherine's face turned gray and her fangs descended as she lunged for her neck.

Mara cried out in pain as Katherine's fangs pierced the sensitive skin on her neck, almost dropping her son in shock.

Vella was stunned, but she had expected her to do something. The problem was, the smell of blood was so distracting in her current famished state, that she was unsure she would be able to do what she needed to do.

Time around her seemed to stop as she began to gather energy from around her, including as much as possible from Klaus. She was beyond caring whether he found out about the connection and at this point she was hoping it might kill him, or at the very least weaken him.

She focused all of her rage on Katherine, who abruptly pulled away from Mara shrieking in pain before falling to the ground.

If she'd been able to think of anything but her hatred for Katherine, she would have noticed the chaos that was going on around her at that instant.

Elijah lunged for Vella, knocking her to the ground. As he held her down with one hand, he reached out to grab a nearby chair, snapping the leg from it easily. But as he held it above her, Klaus intervened, knocking the makeshift stake from his hand, then knocking him backwards.

The interruption of her spell had only lasted a moment, but it was long enough that Katherine was able to recover from it, standing back up on her feet. But as she was about to go after Mara, who was trying to get out of the house, Vella managed to drop her to the ground again as she stood up.

Katherine began to scream as the pain Vella caused her became more and more intense by the moment. And as she drew more power from Klaus, he began to feel something strange, though he seemed to have no idea at that moment what it could be. It wasn't until he realized he was becoming weaker and Katherine's screams were becoming louder, that he even had a notion.

He walked over to Vella, grabbed her by the arms, staring into her eyes then shook her vigorously_. _

_"Stop!"_

She was so focused on killing Katherine, she hadn't even noticed Klaus approaching, or even grabbing her, until he was shaking her violently. She also hadn't noticed the heavy flow of blood coming from her nose, or that her eyes had become more and more unfocused.

She stopped the spell, but it wasn't only because of Klaus, it was also because she couldn't hold it any longer without killing herself. And while she didn't care if that happened, she wanted to at least be able to take Katherine with her, if not Klaus as well, but unfortunately she hadn't been strong enough. But once she'd stopped, she realized she set out to do what she'd needed to do, save Mara. She'd seen her escaping the house, she could only hope she'd manage to get far away from the house before someone decided to go after her.

She stood on her feet for only seconds after she'd stop the spell, before falling to her knees, grasping her head in her hands and closed her eyes.

Klaus turned his attention from Vella, to his brother, whom he was glaring at furiously.

"You almost destroyed my plans, Elijah. How do you think I should punish you for this betrayal?"

"I am sorry, Klaus," he replied apologetically. "She was going to kill Katherine."

He glared at his brother silently, but the look said more to him than words ever could.

"Klaus, please," he pleaded.

He passed his brother a warning look as he walked closer to Katherine, who had managed to get to her feet and was slowly healing.

"I warned you not to taunt her any longer, Katherine," he spat. "You were supposed to keep the Salvatore brothers busy and out of my hair."

"But I've done that. In fact, Damon followed me here looking for the girl and the baby."

He wasn't sure if he had felt it through their connection, or it was because she was in the room, but he could feel Vella's sudden surge of hope, and he didn't like it.

"I thought you would have done more with the gift I've given you, but all you've shown me is how incompetent and useless you are."

"Brother," Elijah called, while Katherine looked at him with pleading eyes.

Klaus turned his head towards his brother for a moment, eyeing him coldly. "You've let your feelings for this woman become your weakness. We are Originals, we are not weak!"

He turned to look at Katherine again completely expressionless. "You've outlived your usefulness," he said, before instantly thrusting his hand into her chest and pulling out her heart.

Katherine's expression turned to shock as she saw her bloody, still beating heart in Klaus' hand, then fell to the ground dead.

Klaus turned to Elijah, throwing her heart into the kitchen sink. "Clean this mess up."

Elijah glared at his brother angrily, but did what was asked of him without question. He picked Katherine's body up from the ground, taking it out of the house to dispose of it.

Once he was gone, Klaus ordered everyone out of the kitchen, then walked over to Vella, who was still on her knees. She was looking up at him fearfully, but defiantly.

"Once again you've surprised me, Vella," he said calmly, reaching his hand out to her.

She continued to look defiantly, refusing to take his hand. She knew he was going to make her pay for her refusal, but at the moment she didn't care. After what she'd witness him do to Katherine, she was nearly paralysed in fright, and if he was going to do the same to her, she wasn't going to make it easy for him.

He grinned a sort of demented grin, then grabbed her by the hair, pulling her until she stood up.

"That wasn't optional," he said as he released her hair.

She stumbled as she tried to stay on her feet, but she managed to stay upright by grabbing a hold of the nearby table.

Klaus opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, then closed it just as quickly, pausing to think for a moment.

"Upstairs," he ordered her as he seemed to glance around the room. "We need to have a chat."

She was about to ask him what about, but the look he was giving her was frightening. She reluctantly turned around and began to walk towards the stairs, but as she approached them, she felt an involuntary shiver go up her spine, chilling her to the bone. It made her stop in her tracks and turn around.

"Why did you stop?"

She shrugged her shoulders lightly in response before turning around to ascend the stairs. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was about to pay dearly for what she'd done. But as frightened as she was, she knew she would do it again in an instant if it ended with Katherine's death.

**A/N: Did this chapter surprise you? Jeremy is alive, Katherine is dead. So much to wrap your head around, eh?**

**Now, I wanted to vent about something. If you've been reading my story for a long time, then you will know what I'm talking about. I was kinda ticked when in season 2 the writers for the show mentioned that Elena's parents had a cabin by a lake. Now I saw that as a coincidence, but kind of suspicious. Then there was when they locked the Sheriff in the basement of the boarding house until the vervain was gone from her blood, just as in one of my chapters (yes it was all posted a long time before those episodes were even written) and NOW, Meredith just happens to be a doctor who uses vampire blood to heal patients, which if you recall I also had a doctor who was doing the same. I'm sorry, but am I just being paranoid or what? I mean, come on, I don't think that much of myself that they would take my ideas, but with it being 3 different things, I'm really having a hard time believing it's all coincidental. It's either that, or I just have really awesome ideas...LOL! Maybe I need to be a writer for the show lol. Ok, vent over.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	109. Chapter 109

Chapter 109 ~ Hope Gained, Hope Lost

Damon wasn't sure how, but he knew something major was going on in that farmhouse. He wasn't close enough to it to hear anything, but he could feel it. He turned to glance at his brother who seemed to know exactly what he was thinking, and he seemed to be feeling it too. It made him incredibly uneasy.

He was quiet for a few minutes before he couldn't stand still any longer, he had to act. But as he was about to race towards the house, he heard footsteps running through the area, and they seemed to be coming from the general direction of the house.

His brother grasped his wrist, but he shook it off the moment he heard the faint cry of a baby. He knew that cry.

He raced off towards the sound of the footsteps, stopping before he came into Mara's line of sight. He didn't want to startle her by appearing so suddenly, and he knew that she'd be frightened enough, he could smell her blood in the air.

"Mara!" he called loudly. "It's Damon."

He heard her stop walking before calling out his name. He headed in her direction again walking briskly. He came upon her a minute later, leaning up against a tree. One arm holding a struggling toddler in her arms, the other holding the wound on her neck.

He reached for Anthony, taking the struggling boy into his arms. He talked to him soothingly which helped him calm down slightly, so he could tend to his mother.

"What happened?" he asked as he looked at the wound on her neck.

"Katherine bit me," she replied, her voice trembling.

He had to ask, although he was afraid of the answer.

"Did you see, Vella? Is she okay?"

She shook her head sadly, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. "I don't know, Damon. She looked awful, but she managed to save me."

"She wouldn't let anything happen to you, Mara."

"I know, Damon. She gave me a look back there, like she was about to die," she stammered, choking on tears. "The last thing I saw was, she was, using magic to hurt Katherine, then one of them knocked her down and was going to stake her. I, uh, don't know what happened because I had to escape."

He wrapped his arm around her, supporting her weight against him. "Don't feel guilty, Mara, you had to escape. It's what she'd have wanted."

"I know," she sobbed.

When Stefan finally appeared, he offered to help. Damon was upset and would rather his brother not be around, but he handed the child to him, then picked Mara up in his arms.

"She'll be okay, Mara," he whispered into her ear before he began running towards the boarding house.

Back at home, Damon made sure Mara and Anthony were attended to, before retreating to his bedroom.

He began to pace aimlessly back and forth, becoming angrier and angrier with each passing step. He was sure his wife was still alive, he knew Klaus needed her, it was what he was doing to her while she was in his custody that frightened him. So many terrible images kept running through his mind until he couldn't stand it any longer, he needed a distraction before he tore the house apart in a fit of rage.

Vella walked into the bedroom with Klaus close behind her. She winced as he slammed the door behind them, causing her to visibly shudder. All she could do was stand where she was to await her punishment.

Klaus strolled up behind her, keeping only a small distance from making contact with her.

She shuddered again as she felt his breath on the back of her neck.

"I suppose I better get on with this before I'm interrupted," he said as he walked around, stopping in front of her.

Her head was down, but she raised it to look in his eyes defiantly. If she was going to die, she was going to do it with dignity.

"I should have figured out what you'd been doing sooner, Vella. Using our blood connection to boost your power, I should have known better." He reached out stroking her hair, making her pull away. In response, he grabbed her wrist tightly, pulling her close to him.

"If Clark had been here, things would have turned out differently for you, my dear."

"But he wasn't," she replied defiantly, trying to break free of his grasp.

"No. But that's only because he was running an errand for me. You see, he's gone to great lengths to track down a very rare herb for me. Something that will keep you under control for the time being. Unless you would like to take that bracelet off and make things easier on yourself."

He began to fumble with the bracelet while still grasping her wrist firmly.

"I'm not taking it off, Klaus. There's nothing you can do to make me."

A malicious smile began to creep across his face.

"What about your best friend and her son?"

"You try anything to hurt them and I will destroy myself and take you with me!"  
He laughed maniacally. "I am aware of the bond between us, but, soon that won't be an issue."

"You know it can't be broken now."

"I do know that, my dear. But once Clark gets back with that herb, you won't be using your magic again, until I need you to."

She stared at him horrified. If she couldn't use magic, she had no advantage whatsoever.

"So will you change your mind about this?" he asked, fondling the bracelet again.

"Absolutely not."

"Very well. We'll see how quickly you change your mind."

She watched as he left the room, almost falling onto the bed once he'd gone.

She didn't regret what she'd done, she would give her life to save her friend any day. But she wished it wouldn't have had to come to that. She'd lost the element of surprise and what little leverage she'd had. Now she was even more frightened of the future than she had been.

Damon was sitting at the bar in The Grill quietly having a drink, doing his best to drown out every thought that was running through his head—at the top of the list was his crushing guilt.

When he left the house earlier, he attacked and fed on several people, including an old lady. He hadn't even been hungry, but each drop of blood managed to calm his rage, until he was only left with a smoldering irritation. The guilt, however, was overwhelming and not so easy to rid himself of.

He noticed when someone sat down beside him, but he kept his head down. He wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.

"Greetings, Damon," said the man who'd sat down beside him.

He felt like he recognized the voice, but he'd already had too much to drink to think clearly. He turned his head, nearly spilling the contents of the glass in his hand in surprise.

"Elijah. What the hell do you want?"

"I've come to see you. We have something to discuss."

He narrowed his eyes, slamming the glass down on the bar. "I doubt I wanna hear anything you have to say."

He cocked his head sideways slightly, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you sure of that?"

"Your brother has my wife, he's obviously won. What could you possibly have to say to me?"

"Katherine's dead."

He leaned back in surprise. "Why are you telling me this?"

"A gesture of good will."

He didn't trust him, but he was curious. He was just drunk enough he thought it might be a good idea to at least listen to him.

"What is it you wanna discuss?"

"I no longer wish to be my brother's servant. I would like to help you get rid of him."

He laughed in disbelief. "And I'm supposed to believe you? I'm not that drunk."

"You have no reason to trust me, Damon, but, what I say is the truth. My brother has broken every promise to me, all because of your wife."

"My wife?" he asked with surprise, and a little anger.

"You misunderstand me, Damon. I don't blame your wife. She's just a means to an end for my brother. He's harbored a deep resentment towards the Firsts for millenia."

"Fine, fine, whatever," he interrupted. "Get to the reason why you want to help me."

He sighed lightly. "I was in love with Katherine, before Klaus twisted her into the devious, impetuous woman you knew. He promised I could be with her once again, but she was too caught up in her revenge against you, your brother and your wife."

"How was she killed?" he asked.

It was more than curiosity that spurned the question. He had a feeling it was why he was upset with his brother.

"Klaus killed her because, well, because she didn't do what she was told."

"You hesitated, Elijah. If you want me to trust you, keeping secrets isn't the way."

"Klaus was angry because she'd kidnapped that woman and her child. It had made your wife so angry she nearly killed Katherine, herself and Klaus."

"And Klaus? How's that?"

"They share some sort of blood bond. She was able to use energy from him to cast a spell to kill Katherine, but she was too weak, yet very determined. Somehow Klaus was able to stop the spell, but he killed Katherine for her incompetence—in front of me."

He couldn't feel bad for Elijah, but he definitely sympathized with him. If someone killed his wife—well, he didn't know what he would do. However, the thought of her sharing a blood bond with Klaus made him furious.

"What do you want from me?"

"I will give you information when I can. For now, I think it's best if you keep a distance from Klaus. He's found a way to neutralize your wife's magic, so he may have more time to devote to other endeavors."

"Could you spell it out in plain English please? I'm way too drunk to think that much."

He gazed at him impatiently. "Klaus' warlock should be back soon with an herb to negate your wife's powers. Although she is weak, it hasn't stopped her from becoming a nuisance." Damon smiled proudly. "But Klaus also knows the Firsts are around town and he knows they've spoken with you. The smartest thing for you and your brother to do would be to keep an eye on your friends and loved ones. I'm not sure what his exact plans are yet, but I would bet he'll do whatever it takes to keep his master plan on track."

He wasn't sure what to make of everything he'd heard—he'd like to blame the alcohol for that—but he wanted to hope Elijah was being genuine. He thought they needed all the help they could get to take down Klaus. First, or no Firsts.

"If you're truly being honest with me, then I have something I need you to do for me, Elijah."

He didn't respond, but his look said he was curious.

"I need you to take a note to my wife."

He gazed pensively for a short time, before nodding in agreement.

Damon asked the bartender for a pen and paper, then hastily scribbled a note to his wife. He hoped it wasn't that messy, since he was drunk it was difficult to tell. Once he was satisfied with it, he handed it to Elijah.

"Are you sure you'll be able to get that to her without Klaus knowing?"

"Absolutely."

"Thank you, Elijah."

He nodded his head then bid him farewell, leaving Damon confused, but slightly more optimistic than he had been in quite awhile.

Vella had been exhausted from her earlier ordeal, but she found herself unable to sleep for more than a few minutes at a time. It wasn't so much what Klaus had said to her that had her upset, it was what she could feel through their connection.

While it had been weakening over time, drawing as much energy as she had from him seemed to have opened the connection much more than it had been, and what she felt was frightening. She was frightened enough it kept her from sleeping although she was utterly exhausted.

She was lying in the bed completely under the covers when she heard footsteps approach the door. She'd been in captivity long enough to know who was at the door by the sound of their feet, so she knew exactly who it was standing outside the door.

She pulled the covers from her face as Elijah walked in, closing the door quietly behind him.

Her first instinct was to ask him what he wanted, but she sensed something in his demeanor that told her not to.

"Take this," he said, handing her a blood bag.

She looked confused, unsure what to make of it, but the savage hunger inside didn't even allow her a second thought. She grabbed the bag from his hands instantly, tore into it, drinking down ever drop she could get.

"Has Clark come back yet?" he asked.

"No. Why?"

"I have something to tell you and Klaus can't find out. He's not in the house, but I'm not sure how that connection with him works."

She looked even more confused. "I don't understand."

He reached into a pocket in his pants, handing her a piece of folded paper.

"Read this quickly."

She took the paper from him reluctantly, unfolding it while she was watching for his reaction. Once it was unfolded, she recognized Damon's handwriting immediately.

' _I know what Klaus wants and we have a plan. Stay strong. Don't lose hope. I swear I will get you out of this. Mara and Anthony are fine. And by the way, Jeremy is alive. I love you, forever. Damon. _'

She glanced up at Elijah, tears filling her eyes. "Why?"

"I can't explain anything, in case he finds out. Just know that I'm not on his side any longer, but he needs to believe that I am."

She glanced down at the note, rereading it again quickly, memorizing it. Then with a quick wave of her hand, it erupted in flames, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. I'm unsure what my brother has planned for you."

She nodded in understanding.

"Now why don't you rest."

She nodded again then laid down in bed while Elijah left the room. And although there were many thoughts running through her head. She hung on to her memory of the last five words he'd written; '_I love you, forever. Damon_.' The comfort in those words helped her drift off into a relaxing sleep.

It was much later when Vella awoke. She felt like it'd been the first real sleep she'd had since she'd been a prisoner of Klaus. Although she sensed his sudden optimism—which frightened her—she was unable to worry about it. The note Elijah had delivered had given her reason to believe there was a way to escape Klaus. She just had to keep on hoping.

She was standing at the bedroom window staring off into the distance, lost in thought, when Klaus walked in, followed by Clark, the warlock.

"Nice to see you up and about, my dear," Klaus remarked.

She turned around glaring at him. She was unsure whether he was being genuine, not that it mattered.

"You might as well save your energy," he said as he approached her, grabbing her by the wrist.

Clark walked up beside them, placing a bracelet on the same wrist she wore her vervain bracelet.

"What the hell is this?" she asked as she tried to break free of Klaus' grip.

Klaus grinned malevolently. "Clark found the herb, infused it into this bracelet. Now you won't be able to use magic until he removes it from your arm himself. Or I do."

She gazed at him horrified.

"Thanks for the idea, by the way," Klaus said with a sadistic smile as he fondled both bracelets.

She wrenched her hand away, folding her arms across her chest.

"How brave are you feeling now?"

She knew it was a mistake the moment it entered her mind, but she couldn't help but allow her vampire instincts to take over. It was all she had left without her magic, and it had been too long since she'd felt the thrill. She dashed at Clark—who was only feet away—with full vampire speed, sinking her fangs into his neck before he could react.

Klaus was slow to react, but Clark wasn't. He cast a spell sending her to the ground clutching her head in agony. Without the ability to use magic, she was unable to fight against the spell.

Klaus ordered Clark to leave the room, before grasping Vella by the hair, yanking her to her feet.

"In the beginning, I thought you were simply stupid or brave," he said. "But now I see that you still allow your impulsiveness to control you."

She narrowed her eyes, but didn't feel like antagonizing him.

"If I were you I would think twice before trying to get on my bad side, my dear. Without your magic, you can't keep me out of your head."

"That might be, but I'm not going to give up," she replied proudly defiant.

He smirked. "We'll see about that."

She'd expected more from him, instead he left the room without another word. Somehow that scared her more than if he'd stayed.

Damon returned to the boarding house shortly after his conversation with Elijah. He'd taken the long way home, hoping to clear some of the alcohol out of his system. He was greeted by little Anthony running at him on his unstable legs, clutching a hold of his leg when he finally made his way to him. He was babbling and laughing, and drooling.

He picked the boy up, tickling his belly. "And hello to you, little guy."

Mara had swept in, holding her arms out. "I'm sorry, Damon."

"What are you sorry for?" he asked as he handed the boy to his mother.

"I didn't think you'd want him bothering you."

"He could never be a bother, Mara."

"I just thought..." she replied, trailing off.

He placed a supportive arm on her shoulder.

"You're family to me, Mara, and so is Anthony," he said smiling. "In fact, I would like for the two of you to stay until this Klaus business has been dealt with."

"I can't do that, Damon. What about David? What about my job?"

"Screw your job!" he snapped. "I'll get your job back for you. This is about your life."

"Damon..."

"Mara, please. The least you can do is let me protect you. There's no guarantee Klaus won't try to hurt you."

"But he let me go. Why would he come after me when he already had the chance?"

He shook his head. "I have no idea, but he's insane. I know that he enjoys messing with people's heads and I'm sure he's messing with Vella's. I will bring David here if need be, but I can't let you leave."

She shook her head sorrowfully. "I don't like it, but I'll do it."

"Thank you, Mara," he said with a supportive smile. "I'll make sure you're taken care of."

"Thanks, Damon. And I promise to keep Anthony away from your antiques."

He laughed lightly, ruffling the hair on the boy's head.

She was going to tell him how nice it was to see him smile, but she decided it would probably have the opposite effect she would be hoping for. Instead, she took her son into the kitchen to feed him, and to give Damon some privacy.

"This house is becoming full," Stefan remarked as his brother walked into the livingroom.

"I would ask you if you mind, but I don't care."

He rolled his eyes. "I don't mind, Damon. As long as everyone's safe."

"I have some good news," he said as he poured himself a glass of whiskey.

"Oh?"

"Katherine's dead."

"What? How do you know?"

He sat down on the couch, taking a drink of his glass. "Elijah came to visit me while I was at The Grill."

"Elijah? What did he want?"

Damon laughed ironically. "Well, brother, to make a long story short. Elijah was in love with Katherine before his brother twisted her into the bitch she was. I guess it's the reason Klaus had Vella bring her back. But when Katherine did something he didn't like, he killed her right in front of Elijah. Now he wants to help us stop him."

Stefan looked stunned. "Do you think we can trust him?"

"I don't know, but I think so."

"Why do you think so?"

He shrugged. "Just a hunch, brother," he replied then finished drinking the contents of his glass.

Stefan could tell there was more he wasn't telling him, but he knew his brother well enough not to prod. He would tell him eventually.

Damon had decided not to tell his brother about the note to his wife. It wasn't that he didn't trust him, or was worried he would tell someone, he just felt like it was something private and was no one's business but his. He could only hope that Elijah hadn't betrayed him.

After another drink, he went upstairs into his bedroom and sat on his bed. Many times since his wife had been missing he'd sat on the bed trying to write his thoughts down in a journal, but not until now did his head seem clear enough. He had so many thoughts he wanted to share with wife, but he'd been too upset in the past. This was the first time he genuinely had any hope.

It felt strange writing in a journal. He'd often mocked his brother for keeping one throughout his life, and teased his wife when she'd also done the same. But at this moment it felt right. He had sins he needed to atone for and he believed this would be the way to keep track of them.

When he finished writing, he took time to reflect on what he'd written. He realized he'd left some things out, but he was sure he would remember these things and had no desire to put them on paper.

After hiding his journal somewhere safe, he changed into something comfortable then climbed into bed, falling asleep quickly for the first time in ages.

Vella had managed to keep herself occupied for the rest of the day, but when the darkness descended, she found it much more difficult. She couldn't sleep and what little hope she'd had had begun to fade.

Klaus was keeping his thoughts very guarded, but his feelings were something he was unable to hide from her. She knew he was working on his plans for the spell to destroy the Firsts, but she had no idea what was involved with it. She was actually afraid to find out.

Although she had hope that Elijah would assist her in some way, she also knew he would look out for himself before he would help her. So in the end, she knew she could only rely on herself.

It was late when she finally drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

' _She smiled blissfully as she entered the livingroom of the boarding house staring across the room at Damon. He was dressed in a suit and tie and was returning her smile just as warmly. He stood as she approached, taking her into his arms and began to kiss her slowly and deeply. It felt like it had been forever since they'd been together and she wanted to make the most of it._

_"No," she yelled out. "No, this isn't real."_ '

She opened her eyes to find herself standing up, being held in Klaus' arms. She pulled herself out of his grip, staring at him in shock and fury.

He laughed diabolically, his eyes conveying a sense of twisted pleasure.

"I told you there was no way to keep me out of your head now."

She glared at him with disgust. "I doubt you'll be able to fool me a second time."

"We'll see about that, my dear," he replied with a cruel laugh. "I told you I'm not playing around anymore."

She waited until he had left the room before climbing back into bed. She laid down, but was unable to fall asleep while she felt so afraid. She knew the moment she would fall asleep again, she'd be vulnerable to him. Without being awake and aware of the connection, she was quite sure she might not realize what was going on next time, until it was too late. That feeling frightened here more than anything she'd felt before. She now realized the amount of terrorizing Klaus was willing to do to her if she wasn't going to cooperate. Now she realized she needed a change in her strategy. She just had no idea what she could do to appease him, short of taking off her bracelet. That was the last thing she would ever do.

**A/N: I'm sorry that this chapter was incredibly difficult for me. I've been having writer's block for awhile now. I do hope that you enjoyed it though. I will do my best to update as soon as I can.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	110. Chapter 110

Chapter 110 ~ How Much Can One Person Take Before They Finally Break?

Over the next several days, Vella learned to become very compliant with Klaus' wishes. As much as it pained her, she did as she was asked to do, as long as it didn't harm anyone she cared about. The alternative was to have Klaus continuously torture her with visions of her husband and friends, which he'd already done several times. She just couldn't live that way any longer.

The first time he'd done it, she found herself in his arms, knowing she'd kissed him. She knew he had no feelings towards her, except for the desire to have her do what he wanted done, and at the time she was confused as to why. But it didn't take long to realize that the only reason he was doing it was to have power over her. The more she hated him and was disgusted by him, the better he enjoyed it. Her only solution was to do whatever she could do to appease him so he wouldn't torture her. She knew a kiss was only the beginning of what could turn out to be something much, much worse. Something she may not recover from so easily.

On the day of her anniversary, she could barely get out of bed. Her heart ached so painfully she thought she might die from it. She tried not to think what it would be doing to Damon, but she couldn't help but think of him. He'd planned something for her on this day and she would never get the chance to enjoy it. It almost made her physically sick.

Once she managed to get herself out of bed and dressed, she did what she'd done the past few days— she went down into the kitchen to sit at the table with Klaus and Elijah. It had been difficult the past few days, but this day it was much more difficult to sit at the table and have to see Klaus sitting across from her, grinning like a cat who'd finally caught its prey.

"Where are you manners, my dear?" Klaus taunted her.

She had to pinch her hand to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

"Good morning, Klaus, Elijah," she said quietly.

Elijah bid her a good morning, while Klaus only stared at her with amusement.

She almost had to bite her tongue to keep herself from saying something that would anger him. He thought he'd won, but he hadn't killed her spirit quite yet. She still had some fight in her, but she had to save it for the appropriate time.

Klaus passed her a cup full of blood with an expectant look.

She knew what he wanted, it was the same thing for the past several mornings.

"Thank you, Klaus," she said as sincerely as possible, drinking the entire contents in one gulp.

"See, my brother," he said with a smirk. "I told you I'd win eventually. One only needs to have patience and persistence."

She glanced away from him, cringing inside. It wasn't so much the words, but the way he felt at that moment. He felt triumphant, all because she wasn't fighting him any longer. It made her feel completely hopeless, like she'd never felt before. Not even when she was being help captive in Italy.

Of course thinking of Italy was the wrong thing to do at that moment. It only served to remind her of her anniversary, which she was trying not to think about. Just when she thought she was managing her composure, a lone tear escaped her eye, rolling slowly down her face.

"Don't be so sad, Vella," Klaus said impassively. "If you continue to behave yourself, I might just take you out to see your husband."

Normally, that would have made her happy, but right now that's not how she felt. She knew Damon was going to be suffering enough without Klaus taunting him.

"I don't want to see him," she replied as evenly as she could.

"Really?" he replied with surprise. "I would have thought you'd want to see him on your anniversary."

"No."

"Then why the tears, Vella? Are you going to lie to me and tell you weren't just thinking about him?"

"Of course I won't lie to you, Klaus," she replied tersely.

"Regardless of how you feel, Vella, you will do what I say."

"No. I said I would stop fighting you, but all bets are off if you want me to hurt Damon," she replied defiantly.

The smirk Klaus had been wearing quickly disappeared, replaced with an ugly, angry sneer.

"Shall I remind you who's in charge?"

It took every ounce of strength inside her to remain calm.

"No, Klaus."

"Good," he replied with a smirk. "Then I shall take my leave for now, sweetheart."

He stood up from the table, glancing at his brother. "Do not forget what I told you, Elijah."

He nodded in response.

Klaus shot her one more warning glance before striding out of the kitchen.

Vella didn't move from her seat until she heard the door close behind him. She was about to exit the kitchen and head back up to her room when Elijah stopped her.

"Klaus has asked that I make sure you're ready to go out."

She turned on her heel looking at him with anguish.

"I can't do this, Elijah. I can't go along with this charade in public."

"You must, Vella."

She wanted to say more, but she kept her mouth shut. He may not be on his brother's side at the moment, but he was still Klaus' brother.

"Klaus has some new clothes for you to wear. They're upstairs in the bathroom."

She sighed with frustration before heading upstairs to the bathroom to find the clothes Klaus had left for her. She glimpsed the bag, which was lying on the counter. She already knew she was going to hate it by the color, it was bright pink. She was sure this was just another way to punish her. And when she pulled it out of the bag, she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that was what he had in mind.

She stared at the dress with dread, before finally squeezing into it. It was very tight fitting, showing off every curve. It showed off her cleavage and was extremely short. It made her feel like she was wearing nothing.

She knew Damon was going to be upset to see her wearing something like this. He knew she disliked wearing anything that showed off too much of her body, and he hated the color pink. It was the reason she stopped wearing anything pink.

She suspected Klaus was gaining way too much knowledge from their blood connection. She only wished she could do something to block it, but she was out of ideas. She knew it didn't help that he'd been adding his blood to the human blood he'd been feeding her every morning, but she couldn't refuse to drink it.

She was going to head to her bedroom to feel sorry for herself once she'd finished dressing, instead, she decided to go downstairs, hoping to snoop around the house while Klaus was gone. She knew the only one around was Elijah, she could only hope he wouldnt bust her for snooping.

She snuck past the kitchen door, through the hallway and into the room that Klaus called his. She didn't immediately see anything interesting, so she began to quietly open drawers and look under the bed.

As she pushed aside a chair that was up against the dresser, she saw a small wooden chest lying on the floor behind it. She reached down to pick it up, but was grabbed from behind so roughly, she was almost thrown backwards.

"Are you really that foolish?" Elijah asked in a hushed voice. "You need to get out of this room, _now_!"

She left the room immediately just as Elijah asked, but she hadn't wanted to. There was something important in that chest, she just knew it, and she need to know what.

She walked into the livingroom just in time to see Klaus standing at the entrance, smirking.

"That outfit suits you, my dear."

"Maybe if I was going to a night club," she replied with irritation.

His smirk was quickly replaced by a glare.

"I didn't ask for your opinion."

She wanted to say something more, but she refrained from opening her mouth. She needed to choose which battles she would fight, and this one wasn't worth it.

He smiled at her, sending a cold shiver running through her. She knew he was up to something and she wasn't going to like it. She just wished she knew what it was.

As she was thinking, she realized she should know what was going on with Klaus. Somehow he was able to keep her out of his head, at least mostly. She could only sense his moods, especially any sudden elevation in mood, like at this moment. He had something planned for her and she knew it went beyond making her wear a horrible dress and taking her out in public.

"There's someone waiting for you in the kitchen, sweetheart," he said with a malicious grin.

She raised her eyebrow in question, but his look wasn't helpful. He only moved away from the kitchen door so she could walk through it.

She swallowed hard, walking through the doorway, not sure what to expect. What she found was the last thing she would have imagined.

"Sit down," Klaus said as he followed behind her.

She scanned the room suddenly feeling terrified. It wasn't something someone would normally be upset about, but she knew this wasn't for her, this was for Klaus. It was another one of his tactics to terrorize her as much as he possibly could.

She sat down in the chair he indicated, glancing at him sideways.

"I don't need a haircut, Klaus," she protested.

"Yes, you do," he replied casually. "If I say you need a haircut, then you need one."

"No! I'm not gonna sit still and let anyone cut my hair against my will."

He stared at her evenly before he abruptly grabbed a wooden stake that was lying on a chair nearby, stabbing her through the upper thigh.

She screamed as the stake pierced her flesh, becoming wedged into the wooden chair she was sitting on.

"Do not move!" he snarled.

After the inital scream, she managed to keep silent, although she desperately wanted to yell, scream and cry, all at the same time. She couldn't allow herself to do any of it, she needed to try and show him he wasn't winning, he wasn't breaking her.

The hairstylist he'd brought to cut her hair was obviously compelled, since he didn't even react to Klaus' violent outburst. Not that it made a difference to her. She knew whatever he was going to do to her hair was not going to be anything she wanted. That wouldn't be much of a punishment.

She stayed as still as possible while the stylist brushed through her hair, but the moment he picked up the scissors she began to feel panicked. However, one glance in Klaus' direction kept her still.

She tried desperately not to cry as she watched her hair falling down in long bunches. She knew it was being cut short, she just couldn't see how short. A quick memory of Damon running his hands through her hair popped into her mind nearly breaking her spirit, but she pushed it out of her mind. It was the only way she was going to get through this particular trial without losing it.

When her haircut was finished, Klaus held the mirror up for her to see. Her first instinct was to close her eyes, she could already feel how light her head felt now, but she didn't dare close her eyes. She knew he'd only get angry again.

Her hair was short, halfway between the bottom of her ears and her shoulders. She wanted to cry, in fact it was difficult not to. She looked horrible with short hair and she knew Damon would think so as well. Either way, she wouldn't give Klaus the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

Klaus smiled vindictively as he placed the mirror on the table.

"What do you think?" he asked.

She had many words she wanted to use to explain her displeasure with her appearance, but she couldn't make any sound come out. She was too afraid to break down.

He laughed a cruel kind of laugh before leading the hairstylist from the kitchen and out of the house.

She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a few deep breaths before pulling the stake from her thigh, throwing it angrily across the room, where it struck the wall, getting stuck.

Elijah walked into the room when he heard the noise, curious to see what had happened. When his eyes fell on Vella, he looked wistful.

"I'm sorry for what he's doing to you, Vella."

She nodded her head, finding herself unable to speak.

"Is there anything I can do?"

She looked at up at him almost hopefully. "Is there any possible way you could warn Damon about this? He's going to be heartbroken when he sees me, Elijah."

He looked even more somber as he replied. "I can't. If I leave now Klaus will wonder what I'm up to."

"Oh."

He apologized before turning to leave, but she stopped him.

"Why are you being nice to me?"

He turned back, glancing at her with sorrow. "You remind me of Katerina—before Klaus corrupted her."

"Why do you still help him after what he's done?"

He shrugged his shoulders lightly. "He's my brother."

She looked at him with confusion. "So, because he's your brother, he can hurt you and you still do as he asks?"

He smiled lightly. "If anyone should understand I would have thought you would."

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

He laughed. "What about Damon and his brother?"

"That's different."

"Can you truly say that it's any different from myself and Klaus? They've been at each others throats for most of their lives, yet they would still fight for each other."

"No, it's not the same, Elijah. Unlike your brother, Damon and Stefan both know what love is. And neither has ever hurt the other so much they weren't able to forgive. Can you say the same?"

She watched as he seemed to ponder this for a moment.

"I did promise to help you after all," he replied before leaving the room quickly.

Since Klaus hadn't said anything to her before he left, she was unsure what he'd been expecting her to do while he was gone. She knew Elijah wouldn't allow her to snoop through Klaus' things again and she couldn't continue to sit in the kitchen, not with her hair still strewn all over the floor beneath her.

After a moment's thought, she went upstairs to go to her room, but she stopped as she passed the bathroom, deciding to go in and take a good look at her hair. However, once she was in front of the mirror she wished she hadn't.

She wanted to cry as soon as she looked at her hair. Regardless of how well it was cut and styled, she couldn't stand looking at it. It made her look like an entirely different person.

It took a great deal of willpower to walk out of that bathroom and into her bedroom, sit down and not cry. She wanted to, boy did she want to, but she couldn't, she wouldn't. She wouldn't give Klaus the satisfaction of seeing or hearing it, even if he knew how she felt. She knew he would enjoy it more if he could see it.

Time passed slowly while she was in her room. She huddled on the corner of her bed absentmindedly playing with what was left of her hair, pondering everything that had happened in the past few days. She quickly realized she'd been lucky, blaming herself for provoking Klaus into terrorizing her now. Her mind kept wandering to the option of taking the vervain bracelet off, but she knew, no matter how easy it would be to just give in. She would know everything she was doing, good or bad. She thought that was a way worse fate than being terrorized.

Klaus came back to the house around midafternoon. He seemed to be in a good mood, which put Vella on the defensive. She knew if he was in a good mood, it usually meant something bad for her.

"Time to go out, my dear," he said stretching his hand out towards her.

She knew what he expected, but she hesitated, not wanting to take his hand. After a warning look from him, she took his hand, allowing him to lead her downstairs.

Elijah and Clark were downstairs waiting for Klaus. Vella couldn't look at either of them as she passed them, still being led by Klaus. As they were about to walk outside, he stopped, squeezing her hand painfully, shooting her a malicious warning look.

"If you don't behave while we're out, well, let's just say one of your loved ones will pay for it."

She nodded in understanding, then he dragged her out of the house, his warlock and his brother following close behind.

Vella cringed as they approached the doors to The Grill, knowing anybody she knew could be inside. She really hoped that no one would be. In fact, she hoped they were all home with Damon, trying to keep him from doing something stupid.

Klaus chose a booth near the middle of the main room, clearly in view of the entire room. It was still early enough in the day it wasn't very packed.

Vella sat silently beside Klaus keeping her eyes down as much as possible, she didn't want to make eye contact with anyone. Her vampire hearing couldn't block out what people were saying though. She desperately wanted to scratch her ears out every time she heard her name mentioned.

They were there for almost half an hour when Klaus abruptly grabbed her by the wrist under the table. Her knee jerk reaction was to look up, which she wished she hadn't done the moment she did. That was when she realized why he'd grabbed her. It was Damon.

Damon had walked in, followed by Stefan, Elena, Caroline, Tyler, Jeremy, Bonnie, her father, John Gilbert, and much to her surprise, Jenna and Alaric. The latter two were supposed to be in Europe still.

She turned her face away as quickly as she could looking ashamed. She couldn't bare to see her friends and family looking at her as if she was a stranger. That hurt more than anything Klaus had done to her yet.

She heard a small scuffle between Damon and Stefan, but she still didn't look up, she just couldn't. Even as he approached the table, she couldn't bare to look into the eyes of the man she loved for fear of what she would see looking back at her.

"Hello, Damon," Klaus greeted him with fake sincerity. "I hear congratulations are in order."

He glared at Klaus furiously, unable to come up with something witty to respond with.

"Oh, where are my manners?" he taunted. "You'd like to speak with your wife, wouldn't you?"

She glanced at Klaus pleadingly, shaking her head.

He grinned, taking pleasure from her distress. "I'll give you two a minute," he said, standing up from the table. "But don't forget what I said Vella," he said, walking across to the bar, Clark and Elijah following behind him.

Damon sat down beside Vella, wrapping one arm behind her back, the other he used to gently turn her face towards his.

"What has he done to you?"

The pain in Damon's eyes made her breath catch in her throat, making her unable to speak. It was taking everything in her power not to cry.

"We're going to stop him, Vella. I promise you that. And he's gonna pay for what he's done to you."

She tried to look away, but he didn't allow her to.

"Damon, please," she said, her voice beginning to crack. "You're playing into Klaus' hand right now. You need to go."

"I can't. Not today."

"I know what today is, Damon. It's not making any of this easier."

"Then you know why I can't leave. I need you so much, Vella."

She noticed tears forming in his eyes, making it much more difficult for her to keep her composure.

"I know, Damon. Just promise me you'll keep everyone safe, that's all I ask."

"That's all you're gonna say?" he asked with confusion.

She glanced quickly in Klaus' direction before turning back to Damon. "I wish I could tell you what I want to but I can't."

"Screw him!"

She looked at him regretfully. "Just don't get in the way of what he wants, Damon. Can you promise me that?"

"I'm sorry, Vella. I can't promise you that."

She swallowed hard, feeling sick to her stomach. She was going to regret what she was about to do, but she didn't see any other way. She figured it was the only way she would be able to keep him safe.

"Of course you can't, Damon. That wouldn't be you, would it? You couldn't possibly do anything that I ask of you. Not when it means so much to me."

The harshness of her words took him by surprise.

"You don't mean that, Vella. You know I would do anything for you."

"Then stay out of this. Keep everyone else out of it. It's the only way you—" She stopped herself from finishing the sentence. She couldn't say those words to him. She couldn't tell him she'd probably never be able to be with him again, even if it was true.

He kept his eyes fixed on hers, waiting for her to finish what she was about to say, but it soon became apparent to him that she was finished speaking.

"I love you, Vella," he said softly. "Nothing Klaus could do to you would change how I feel."

She swallowed hard again, trying to keep herself from crying.

"I love you, Damon," she said with a note of finality.

He looked as if he wanted to say more, but he understood what she needed at that moment, she needed him to leave. He didn't want to cause her any more pain than she was already enduring, even if it meant he would be suffering. What hurt him the most was her eyes, they looked haunted and dead. He couldn't remember them ever looking so desperate and hopeless. It broke his heart.

Vella hung her head low once again after Damon left the table. She didn't look up even when Klaus sat down beside her. She waited for him to gloat, to taunt her or possibly Damon, but he remained silent.

She eventually figured out why he stayed silent. His punishment for her was to listen to her friends and loved ones speak about her, yet not be able to do anything about it. It hurt more than anything Klaus could have done to her at that moment.

She wished she could talk to them, she especially wanted to know why Alaric and Jenna had come home early from their honeymoon. The whole reason she'd sent them away for so long was to ensure their safety. Now they were back, which added more people to the growing list of loved ones in jeopardy.

As difficult as it was, Vella managed to sit at the table quietly and calmly for the entire time they were at The Grill. Klaus kept her there until everyone she knew had left, and then for a short time after that. Even as they were leaving, she didn't speak or protest, she only followed him.

She was unsure why at first, but they seemed to be taking a long way back to the farmhouse. It was already dark and all she wanted to do was get back to the safety of her bedroom. As they came across a small group of teens hanging out in the woods, she quickly realized why he'd taken a different route. It only took a moment for her to figure out exactly what Klaus wanted.

"I want you to kill all five of them," Klaus whispered into her ear.

She gasped, turning to look at him with pleading eyes. "I can't do that."

"You can and you will," he demanded.

Killing teens was the last thing she wanted do, but she knew she had little choice in the matter. They were going to die, it was only a matter of how. She could make it painless and quick, while he would make it as painful as possible, and possibly take his time to do it.

She tried to justify it to herself, she was hungry, she was a vampire, but deep down inside she knew it was wrong, but she had to do it, that's what she had to continuously tell herself, what she had to believe. It was the only way to survive.

She kept her eye on the largest of the males in the group before racing towards him at vampire speed, but before she reached him, something slammed into her from the side sending her flying almost twenty feet, landing clumsily on her hands and knees.

She was crouched in an attack position as she glanced around to see what had happened, when she noticed Caroline standing next to a large wolf. It was Tyler.

"What are you doing, Vella?" Caroline asked her, while Tyler snarled.

She stood up quickly, fangs still showing. "Get out of my way, Caroline."

"Do you seriously think I'm going to let you attack innocent people?"

"Do you think you can stop me?"

She narrowed her eyes. "If I can't, Tyler will."

He growled deeply as if to make Caroline's point.

Vella could hear Klaus in her head. He was telling her to go through her friends, kill the teens, which had already scattered by the sudden appearance of a large, snarling wolf. And although he continued to repeat the same thing in her mind, she couldn't do it. She couldn't hurt Caroline or Tyler. She wasn't far enough gone to hurt them.

She retracted her fangs, relaxing her stance slightly.

"Get out of here, Care," she warned. "Make sure the kids are out of here and leave. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Why? What are you going to do?  
"It's not her you have to worry about," Klaus said as he walked towards them. Elijah and Clark were close behind.

Caroline backed up a step, while Tyler began to growl loudly.

"Klaus, please," Vella begged as she turned around to face him. "Please don't hurt them."

His face was stoic for a few moments while he seemed to be pondering her request, then he began to smile spitefully.

"Get on your knees, Vella."

"What?" she asked with complete surprise.

"You heard me. Get on your knees and beg for your friends' lives."

She took a deep breath, fighting the urge to scream a refusal. It took a few moments before she could truly apprehend what he wanted from her. He wanted her acquiescence, her obedience.

She glanced towards the ground, slowly getting down on her knees. She continued to keep her head down, unable to look at anyone, especially her friends. She'd already lost her dignity, but she couldn't bare to see it reflected in their eyes too.

It seemed like forever as she was on her knees, waiting for Klaus to respond in some manner. When he finally did it threw her off balance.

"Get out of here, both of you," he said. "Unless you care to see your friend suffer."

She heard Caroline and Tyler back up and eventually leave the immediate area, for which she was grateful. She felt foolish enough without having her friends watch her continued humilation.

"Stand up, Vella."

She was hesitant, but did as she was told, although she kept her eyes gazing downwards.

"You did very well, my dear," he said, forcing her too look into his eyes by lifting her chin. "You continue to surprise me."

She gazed into his eyes reluctantly, keeping silent.

"Enough tests for tonight," he said with a smug smile. "Time to go home."

She barely had time to react as he grabbed her wrist and began the trip back to the farmhouse.

For the first time since she'd been Klaus' prisoner, Vella was actually happy to be back at the farmhouse. She'd been hurt and humiliated enough for one day and all she wanted to do was take off the horrible clothes he'd made her wear and climb into bed.

Not one word was spoken to her when they arrived, so she assumed she could do whatever it was she wanted to. So without a second thought, she went upstairs and got changed into a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

However, climbing into bed was much more difficult than she'd thought it would be. She knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep with all the days events running through her mind, although she desperately wanted to. But after much consideration, she realized she didn't even deserve to sleep, as worthless and useless as she felt. So instead of sitting or lying in bed, she sat herself in the corner of the room nearest the window, her knees pulled up to her chest, watching the moonlight shine across the floor.

Eventually she managed to shut everything out of her mind, falling asleep while propped up against the corner of the room.

Her sleep was dreamless and peaceful, for the first time in as long as she could remember. There were no good dreams, no nightmares, no dreams of any kind. The only times she'd ever remained dreamless were times she was unconscious from either a spell, vervain, or an injury. She wasn't sure what to make of it. It unnerved her.

She found she was stiff as she tried to stretch out her legs. She was thankful at that moment she was a vampire or she might not have been able to make it to her feet so easily, at least not immediately.

She'd expected a visit from Klaus by now, but she was relieved when he didn't show up for his usual morning visit. Elijah did come by to drop off her morning blood, but he didn't speak to her. She wasn't sure why but it also unnerved her.

As the day wore on with no word from Klaus, or anyone else, she began to become paranoid. She could only lay in bed with nothing to do for only so long, without her thoughts driving her nuts. But she soon realized it was probably what he wanted all along.

She eventually began to stroll the house in hopes of finding out what Klaus might be up to, or to try and get into his room and find out what was in the chest he'd been hiding, but Clark had been left behind, and he was more than formidable enough to stop her if she tried anything.

She hung out in the livingroom for a short time before heading back into her room, laying on the bed, alone with only her thoughts again. They ranged from anger, rage, humiliation and sadness.

Trying desperately to forget the memory of Damon's face when he'd seen her the day before, brought on a wave of uncontrollable tears and frustration. When she thought she'd managed to keep control of herself, another wave of tears would set in. It continued for much of the day and into the evening.

As darkness began to fill the room, Vella finally managed to get control over herself. She was unsure why it had been so difficult. All she could do was blame it on the heightened emotions that was the vampire's curse. It didn't really matter why, she just didn't want to feel anything any longer. She wanted it all to go away. That was her only thought as she laid down on her pillow, rubbed at her swollen, itchy, red eyes, drifting off into sleep.

' _She was walking through the forest, which was was brightly lit from the full moon hanging overhead. She knew there were battles being fought all around her—some won, some lost—but she had something to do and nothing could stop her, she couldn't allow it. Everything was so easy. She had one thing to do and that's all that mattered. No right, no wrong, no worries, just the mission. It was all so simple._ '

Vella opened her eyes slowly, almost expecting to see someone in the room with her, however, after quickly glancing around the room she realized she was alone. The sun was beginning to crawl across the sky, only a small, dim light was creeping through the tiny crack in the curtains.

Her mind began trying to analyze her dream, but if she was honest with herself, she already understood exactly what it meant. She could make it easier on herself if she just gave in and took off her bracelet. She was going to be a prisoner of Klaus until he was done with her, things would be so much simpler if she didn't have to think about right or wrong any longer.

She glanced down at the vervain bracelet she wore and begun spinning it around her wrist with her thumb and forefinger, hesitating each time she had the clasp between her fingers. She knew she shouldn't take it off, but she really wanted to. She knew she would still feel things, but she knew it would be easier to shut everything out if she just let go of it all.

Feeling a desperate need to let go of everything, she began to pull back on the clasp until it was open and all she had to do was twist it slightly to release it.

**A/N: Sorry to leave it that way, but I couldn't help myself. The chapter was already long enough, wasn't it? lol. I'm sorry it took so long to update, but I hope it was worth the wait. Things should be coming to a head with Klaus' plan very soon.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	111. Chapter 111

Chapter 111 ~ A Whirlwind of Emotion

Damon stomped into the boarding house and headed straight into the livingroom to pour himself a drink. Stefan, Alaric, Elena, Bonnie and John were close behind, keeping an eye on him. None of them wanted to leave him alone, after seeing his wife at The Grill, for fear of what he might do.

Everyone watched him quietly, standing around waiting on tenterhooks. The tension in the air was palpable, everyone could feel it. The problem was that no one knew what they could say to ease his pain.

"I don't know what you're all doing here," Damon said with irritation after he downed his first glass of whiskey. "I'm fine."

"Damon—"

"Stefan, shut up!" he said with warning. "I don't have anything to say to you. To any of you."

"We're just worried about you," Elena said with concern.

He glared at her for a moment before glancing towards an empty spot on the wall.

"What are you worried about me for? Why don't you worry about, Vella?" His voice became louder the more he spoke. "Did you see what Klaus has done to her? I barely even recognized her."

Elena was about to say something when her phone began to ring. She noticed it was Caroline, so she answered it. But when she began to speak about Vella, she moved out of the room to take the call.

"You need to keep your cool, Damon," Alaric said. "You know that's what he wants. He wants you to go out of your mind."

He laughed ironically. "I'm already there, Alaric. You have no idea."

"You're right. I don't."

"It wasn't so much what she said to me. It was—forget it."

He poured himself another drink, downed it in one gulp, then poured himself another. He was going to down that one as well, when Elena walked back into the room.

"What did blondie want?"

She wasn't sure if she should tell him the truth, she was sure it would upset him more than he already was. She glanced over at Stefan who seemed to look concerned.

"What is it, Elena?" he insisted.

She took a deep breath to ready herself.

"Caroline and Tyler had a run in with Vella and Klaus after they left The Grill."

"What happened?"

She reluctantly told him everything Caroline had relayed to her.

Damon listened intently, doing his best to keep any emotion from his face. He was seething inside, but he had to keep a calm exterior. He knew his wife was depending on him, and no matter how he felt, he had to keep himself from doing something impulsive. It was quite possibly the most impossibly difficult thing he'd ever done in his life.

He downed his glass of whiskey and poured another, completely ignoring the looks from everyone in the room. He desperately wanted them to leave, but at the same time he was worried what he might do if he was alone. He realized he was walking a very thin line between rage and sanity at the moment.

It wasn't long before Alaric and Bonnie left and Stefan, Elena and John went up to their rooms, leaving Damon alone to comtemplate things. The alcohol he was drinking was not making things any better, and, although he had satiated his hunger for blood with a blood bag from the fridge, he wanted nothing more than to find an unsuspecting victim and tear their neck out, just for the pure pleasure of it. Instead, he decided to drink so much that he would be able to sleep, or at the very least, pass out.

When Damon woke up the next day, he noticed it was almost the afternoon, not that he cared. He had nothing to do and nowhere to go.

He stumbled out of bed, making it into the shower before he got dressed, eventually making it downstairs. He was going to pour himself a drink, but he decided he would be better off if he made himself coffee.

He lumbered into the kitchen, almost stepping on some noodles that were all over the kitchen floor. He glanced over at the table, noticing Mara, who seemed to be a bit frustrated with her son.

"I'm so sorry for the mess, Damon," she apologized frantically. "I'll make sure it gets cleaned up."

"It's okay, Mara," he replied nonchalantly. "It's fine."

"Uncle Damon!" Anthony shrieked when he heard his voice, trying to get out of his seat.

"Hey, buddy," he said with a smile. "You eat your lunch and stop giving your mom a hard time."

The little boy looked at him with a wide eyed grin. "Okay."

Damon made himself coffee, making small talk with Mara while he was waiting for it to finish brewing. Once he'd poured himself a cup, he sat at the table drinking his coffee and played with the boy.

It took some time for him to realize that Anthony was the distraction he needed so desperately, so he offered to spend the day with him and his mother. It would get her out of the house—which she was already tired of being stuck in—and it gave Damon something to do, besides feeling sorry for himself.

The first thing he did was take Mara and Anthony shopping. He couldn't resist buying all kinds of things for the boy, although his mother wasn't too impressed with Damon spoiling him, but it did make her happy to see Damon smile for a change.

After shopping he took them both to the park, where Damon spent the next two hours trying to keep up with the toddler, while his mother relaxed and read a book under the shade of a tree.

When they were done at the park, Damon took Mara and Anthony out for dinner, and by the time they got back to the boarding house, Anthony was so tired he fell asleep almost immediately.

"I don't know how I can thank you for today, Damon," Mara said as she relaxed on the couch with a glass of wine.

"I'm the one that should be thanking you, Mara. You saved my sanity," he said as he drank from his glass of whiskey.

"You saved me and Anthony first, so if anyone owes anyone—"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "Vella saved you."

"And you saved her, Damon."

"What?" he asked with confusion.

"You really don't know how unhappy she was before she met you," she said, placing her glass of wine on the table beside her. "When her parents died, she was a wreck. It took so much to get her to come out of her shell."

"You make it sound like she didn't have a life after her parents."

She shot him a knowing glance. "Yes, she did meet, Tommy, but I don't think she was ever really in love with him."

"What?"

She smiled. "No, Damon. She wanted to be in love with him, but she wasn't, not really."

"That's not the way she told it to me."

She chuckled lightly.

"How long have you lived, Damon? Shouldn't you know more about women by now?" she teased.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"She told you she'd been in love before, because she didn't want to seem like a pathetic loser. But the truth is, you're her first love, her only love."

"I don't know how that's supposed to make me feel," he replied sadly.

"I'm not saying this to upset you, Damon. I just wanted you to know that—that's how I know everything is gonna be okay. You two are meant to be together."

"I wish I could have your confidence."

She smiled supportively. "I have no idea what it's like being a vampire, but I do know Vella. I know how she feels about you. She's gonna do whatever she can to get back to you. And maybe it's cheesy to think this way, but love like that can overcome anything. I seen it first hand when she saved me from Katherine."

He smiled. "Thank you, Mara. I know how she feels about you, too. You're closer to her than a sister. She never would've let something happen to you, or Anthony. She would've died first."

"I know. And I would do the same for her," she said sorrowfully. "It killed me to see what Klaus has done to her. I just wish I could do more."

"You have. More than you realize," he said, drinking what was left in his glass of whiskey. "You stayed here, keeping yourself safe. And, you've kept me from losing my mind."

"No, I think that was Anthony," she said with a light hearted chuckle. "You're the only one who can keep up with him."  
"It was fun. I wish I could do it more often."

"I do, too, Damon. Anthony loves having you around."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted," he said with a smile. "I hope you don't mind me taking leave so early?"

"Of course not. I'm gonna call David and finish my wine before I go to bed. I'm pretty sure Anthony will sleep through the night."

He poured himself a half shot of whiskey, downing it quickly before he went upstairs to his room.

He laid his head down on his pillow, closed his eyes, but his mind wouldn't allow him to fall asleep just yet. He'd spent the day completely distracted from his problems and it was making him feel guilty. He knew he shouldn't be, his wife would understand, but he didn't. Eventually his exhaustion won out over his guilt and he fell into the first restful sleep he'd had in some time.

When Damon awoke in the morning, he felt rested and slightly more optimistic about things than he had in awhile. He quickly had a shower, got dressed and was about to head downstairs to grab some coffee, when he received a cryptic text on his phone. He wasn't quite sure who it was from, but they wanted to meet him.

He wasn't sure if he should meet them, or even reply, but he didn't think it was a trap, it was way too obvious. And he knew it wasn't really Klaus' style. So he grabbed a quick coffee before heading out to the place where the mysterious texter wanted to meet.

He waited under the shade of a tree just a short distance from the park he'd been at the day before. He was there for several minutes, becoming more and more impatient as time passed and no one showed. He was about to leave when he heard someone approach him from behind. He turned around, coming face to face with Elijah.

"I'm glad you decided to show, Damon," he said.

"I was beginning to think I'd been stood up."

"I had to make sure I wasn't followed."

"What's this all about, Elijah?"

"I'm afraid we have a big problem."

His heart suddenly felt heavy making it hard to breathe.

"What's going on?"

"Unless you know someone who can stop her, your wife _will_ cast that spell."

"I don't understand, Elijah. I thought we'd be able to stop her before it got that far."

He shook his head. "I'm afraid not. She's going to do whatever Klaus asks of her."

"I'm aware she's gonna do whatever she can to keep everyone she cares about safe. What's changed?"

"She took off the bracelet, Damon. She's allowed Klaus to compel her."

"What? You can't be serious? Why would she do that?" he yelled.

"I have no idea. But this leaves me in a difficult position."

"Leaves _you_ in a difficult position!" he said incredulously. "Are you being serious?"

"Damon," he replied calmly. "Your wife knows about my subterfuge. If Klaus finds out—it will be dangerous for all of us."

"I don't understand. Why would she do this?" he said with disappointment. "Does she not realize the consequences?"

"I'm sure she does, Damon. The problem is Klaus. He's done all the he could to make her suffer. I believe there was only so much she could take."

"What did he do to her?" he demanded.

"I couldn't tell you what the last straw was."

"But you do know what upset her the most, don't you?"

"I have my suspicions, yes."

"Tell me."

He shook his head in refusal. "No, Damon. It's best if you don't know. It will only upset you needlessly."

"Upset me needlessly? Klaus has my wife. I'm already upset."

"Perhaps I should have said, upset you further."  
Damon glared at him angrily.

Elijah sighed quietly in resignation.

"My brother has been sharing his blood with your wife and vice versa. The connection between them is much more powerful than the average vampire. At first, he hoped he would be able to gain control over her this way, but he severly underestimated her strength of character, and her love for you," he began to explain. "But he also didn't know she was able to use this connection as energy to fuel her magic. He found this out when she went after Katherine for hurting her friend and nearly killed him. So as a punishment, he decided to use the connection to punish her."

Damon had become increasingly agitated the longer he listened to Elijah. He knew he probably shouldn't ask, but he needed to know more.

"How did he punish her?"

He gave him an apprehensive look. "He made her dream. He made her think she was having dinner with you. But when she realized that wasn't possible, she opened her eyes to find herself in Klaus' arms, kissing him."

Damon closed his eyes, taking a long, deep breath. He was so angry he was seeing red, and if he didn't do whatever he could to calm himself, his rage was going to take control of him.

"I shouldn't have told you this."

He looked at him with determination. "You need to make sure Klaus never finds out you've betrayed him. Who knows what he'll do to her if he finds out she knew."

"I will not let that happen, Damon. I assure you."

He nodded his head. "Good."

"I must go now. I will contact you again when I have some information you need," he said, quickly leaving.

Damon grasped a hold of the nearby tree, closing his eyes. His rage was threatening to consume and overwhelm him. He didn't know what to do, but he knew where he had to go. Home.

He ran home as fast as he could, slamming the door so hard it shook the walls of the house. His blinding rage had reached its peak by the time he'd made it into the livingroom and he had no idea how to vent it constructively. He tried—without success—to take a few deep breaths to calm himself, but all it did was make him angrier. Next, he tried to pour himself a drink, opting instead for straight from the bottle.

When he finished the bottle of whiskey, he didn't feel much better than he had before. After slamming the bottle down on the table, he went into the cabinet to find something else to drink. He shoved the cheap liquor out of the way, looking for the top shelf alcohol. When he glimpsed a bottle of vodka that belonged to his wife, he removed it from the cabinet, took a drink from it before he threw it across the room, where it shattered against the wall in a shower of alcohol and glass.

He stared at the spot the bottle had broken, breathing heavily. The breaking of the bottle did nothing to alleviate his anger and he was still seething. He reached for another bottle of liquor, whipping it against the wall with a scream of anguish. When that didn't help, he threw another bottle, screaming even louder, before he threw himself on the couch, gripping one of the throw pillows tightly against his face, his body trembling with rage and sorrow, crying deeply.

It wasn't long before Stefan came running into the boarding house from outside. He'd gotten a panicked call from Mara, so he dropped what he was doing and rushed home to find his brother lying face down on the couch.

He approached him cautiously, avoiding the broken glass and alcohol spilled on the floor, calling his name. When he didn't respond, he decided to try a different approach.

"What the hell is going on, Damon?"

He slowly lifted himself up from the couch to a sitting position, wiping tears away with the sleeve of his shirt. He gazed at his brother with angry red eyes that were filled with anger and anguish, before averting his gaze.

"What's wrong?" Stefan asked with concern.

He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

"Is it, Vella?" he asked hesitantly.

His look was full of sorrow as he quickly glanced at his brother, before averting his eyes once again.

"She's gone, Stefan. Vella's gone," he replied, his voice wavering.

"What do you mean, gone?" John asked as he walked into the livingroom.

Damon glanced at him quickly, once again looking at the floor ruefully.

"She took off her bracelet. She belongs to Klaus now."

"What?" Stefan exclaimed.

"That can't be!" John yelled in disbelief. "Why would she do that?"

"He broke her," he replied, swallowing hard.

"I don't believe it. There's gotta be something we can do," John replied with agitation.

Stefan placed a supportive hand on Damon's back, but he shook it off, glaring at John dangerously.

"How dare you even talk about her, John! This is all your fault!"

"I know it is, but this isn't the time to be arguing about it," he replied.

Damon continued to glare at him angrily, then abruptly ran at John, colliding into him at vampire speed, sending both of them tumbling into the wall behind them. John managed to push him away with his legs and scramble to his feet, but Damon was quicker, blindsiding him with a punch to the side of the face. His reflexes weren't as quick as Damon's, but since he'd become a werewolf he was somewhat faster than he had been. He punched at Damon, connecting with the side of his head. The surprise, from the amount of power behind the blow, stopped Damon long enough for Stefan to get in the middle of the two and break up the fight.

"This isn't helping, Damon," he said, pushing him up against the wall. "We can't be fighting amongst ourselves."

He glared at John before pushing his brother's hands off.

"Get out of my sight, John. _Now!_"

John hesitated for a moment before leaving the room.

"Damon—"

"Stefan," he said, narrowing his eyes dangerously. "I'm not in the mood to explain anything else to you at the moment."

"I think you'd better. We're running out of time. It'll be a full moon in a couple of nights."

"Don't you think I know that, Stefan?"

He shot his brother an intensely serious look.

"Then don't you think we should be spending this time figuring out how to save her, instead of fighting and destroying things?"

For a moment he felt like he was going to explode, but he managed to calm himself down.

"If you have any ideas I'd like to hear them."

He sighed. "I don't have any right now, Damon. Why don't we clean this mess up? Then we can brainstorm."

He rolled his eyes, shrugging in acquiescence.

Several hours later, Damon and Stefan were sitting in the livingroom together when the doorbell rang. Stefan answered the door, surprised to find Bonnie waiting to come inside. He escorted her into the livingroom, where his brother shot the two of them an irritated look.

"What are you doing here, witch?"

"I asked her to come," John said as he walked into the livingroom behind her. "She's going to help us break Klaus' compulsion over Vella."

He laughed incredulously. "I didn't know you were a comedian, John."

"He's being completely serious," Bonnie interrupted. "I have an idea, but I need your help."

"Well that's no surprise."

She shot him an irritated look but didn't respond.

"I think I'm gonna need a drink to hear this," he said as he stood up and walked over to the liquor cabinet. "If I have any good stuff left."

His brother rolled his eyes, turning to Bonnie. "What is it you need?"

She glanced at Damon, who was now drinking straight from a bottle of whiskey.

"I need access to Vella's belongings, preferably items that belonged to her mother, father and sister."

Everyone glanced at John, who seemed to look momentarily uncomfortable.

"Why would you need that?" Damon asked suspiciously.

She shifted her gaze for a moment. "I can't really say too much, Damon. Not if you want it to work."

"Are you being serious?"

"I wouldn't keep it from you if I didn't think it was best."

"Well that remains to be seen, witch."

"You seem to be forgetting something, Damon," she said ominously. "There are too many people involved in this. If the wrong ones find out—well, then it might not work."

"What're you saying?"

"I'm saying, this might be our _only_ hope of breaking Klaus' compulsion."

There had been a twinkle of hope in his eyes, but it only lasted for a moment, replaced once again by doubt.

"Fine."

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small ring of keys, tossing them at Bonnie. She caught them, shooting him a confused look.

"Keys to Vella's cabin _and_ her storage unit."

She nodded her head, slipping them into her pocket. "I won't let you down, Damon."

"See that you don't."

She rolled her eyes slightly before she left the house.

Damon watched her leave before turning to John.

"Thank you, John," he said with hesiation. "I'm sorry...about earlier."

He nodded his head. "It's forgotten."

Damon was about to say more, but when John turned around to leave, he decided to leave well enough alone. He'd caused enough problems for the day, he didn't need anymore. He needed to keep his head for his wife's sake. He also needed as many allies as he could get, whether he liked them or not. It was the only reason he kept certain people around, or agreed to work with the Firsts. He could only hope that all of his efforts would pay off, and not come to bite him in the ass later.

Several hours later, while the household was relaxing before heading to bed, there was a knock at the door. The Salvatore brothers exchanged curious glances, neither had been expecting company at such a late hour.

Stefan was the one who decided to answer the door, since Damon still wasn't in a good mood. He figured if anyone was ringing the door at such a late hour—without calling first—would probably be there for some important reason, and he didn't want his brother alienating anyone else.

He was surprised when he opened the door and found Mason Lockwood standing there with Constantine, one of the Firsts.

"I'm sorry to call at such a late hour," Constantine said. "But this is important."

"This isn't really a good time."

"Perhaps, but this needs to be done immediately."

He reluctantly ushered the two werewolves into the livingroom, much to the chagrin of his brother. It only took one look to know how irritated he was.

"As I explained to your brother, this is important," he said to Damon.

Damon swished his drink around in his glass impatiently while waiting for the guests to have a seat on the couch.

"Make it quick."

Constantine nodded his head. "We've had some important information fall into our lap recently. We felt we needed to share this with you as soon as possible."

"What's so important that you felt the need to share it with us now, and not in the morning?"

"I've heard about your wife, Damon. I heard Klaus is now able to compel her. This makes everything much more urgent."

"How's that?"

He gazed at him with disbelief. "Klaus has already chosen the spot to have his ritual. The only problem is, we don't know what he needs for the spell."

"It's a spell to stop your kind and you have no idea? I find that hard to believe."

"The spell has been kept a secret. Only Klaus and the witch who created it know what is involved. And of course, she's long dead."

"I don't understand what this has to do with me?"

He narrowed his eyes. "I had been hoping you'd be able to get through to your wife, somehow stop Klaus, but now that she's being compelled there is only one solution."

Damon stood straight up instantly. "You better not be talking about killing her, Constantine! I'm warning you!"

He stood up from the couch calmly, Mason stood up as well. "I am hoping it will not come to that. I've been told your witch has a plan to break his compulsion. I will allow her to try, but if that spell is cast, I can't guarantee your wife's safety."

Damon clenched his fists tightly, speaking in a carefully controlled tone. "If one of you so much as touch my wife, I will hunt you all to extinction."

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Do not threaten me, whelp."

Mason and Stefan stepped in between the two of them.

"That's enough, Damon," Stefan said. "This isn't helping."

He glared at his brother, unclenching his fists.

"Whatever information you have, share it and get out," he said, shifting his glare to Constantine.

He nodded at Mason, who handed Stefan a map. "The location is marked on this map."

"How do you know this?"

"Let's just say, we managed to coerce someone into giving us the details," Constantine replied.

"And it's reliable?" Damon asked.

"Yes."

"Then we'll see you there in a couple of nights," he said with finality.

Constantine nodded, leaving quickly, Mason following close behind him. Damon waited until he was sure they were out of earshot before speaking.

"How the hell did he know about, Bonnie?"

"I don't know, Damon."

"I don't trust him, Stefan."

He sighed. "I don't particularly trust him either, but we don't have much choice."

"Do you think his info is as reliable as he says?"

He lifted the map, quickly running his eyes over it.

"Not sure, but look at this," he said, showing his brother the map. "This is the place Vella cast the spell to break Tyler's curse. It could mean something."

He felt a twinge of jealousy as his brother mentioned that time. It was the day Stefan had formed a permanent bond with Vella, by siring her with his blood.

"I'm not sure about the significance of the site, but it makes sense."

"Have you had too much to drink, Damon?"

"What? No. Shut up, Stefan," he said with irritation. "Think about it. It's the place Vella used to break Tyler's curse. The spell was interrupted. Wouldn't there be some kind of energy still there?"

He shrugged. "I'm not a witch, Damon."

"Whatever," he replied with disappointment. "I guess I'll ask Bonnie in the morning."

He raised his eyebrow in surprise, but said nothing.

"I'm heading up to bed, Stefan. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow."

"Oh?"

He smiled conspiratorially, before heading up to his bedroom, leaving Stefan curious and concerned.

**A/N: I'm sorry it's taken so long to update but I've had some computer issues on top of the writer's block, as well as trying to update my other fics. I swear I will do my best not to let it go that long before I update again.**

**Looks like this thing is about to come to a head. Are you surprised by Vella's actions? Do you think Bonnie will be able to help? So much going on I could ask questions forever, lol.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	112. Chapter 112

Chapter 112 ~ Preparations

Vella was sitting on the bed in her bedroom staring towards the window, her mind quiet for the moment. Klaus had compelled her to stay on the bed until he came for her, so there she sat, doing her best to keep her emotions closed off while she waited. It wasn't perfect, or ideal, but it was easy, and that was all she had now. It was the only thing she could do to keep herself from going insane.

Since she'd taken off the bracelet, Klaus had virtually left her alone, knowing she couldn't do anything that he hadn't told her she could do, at least that's what he thought. She knew she could do some things he didn't know about, but she'd decided not to push him. The whole reason she'd allowed herself to be compelled was so he would stop torturing her. She knew, no, she could feel, that if he knew she wasn't behaving, he would torture her in the worst possible way and she knew exactly what that was. She couldn't allow that to happen. That would push her past her breaking point.

She sat on the bed for an entire day, hungry, tired, but unmoving, just as Klaus had commanded her to do. She was positive he was testing her, but he didn't need to, his compulsion was working. Although she understood why he felt the need to test her. He thought this was another one of her tricks. But it wasn't. Not this time.

Klaus visited her room early the next morning with a gift, a young woman he wanted her to feed from, and kill. Her first instinct was to refuse, but as he narrowed his eyes at her, she knew he would just make her do it and it would probably be much more painful for the woman that way. So she did as she was expected, compelling the woman first so she wouldn't fight and make it more painful for herself, then drained the life from her.

He seemed pleased, but she could feel there was more going on, something he was doing his best to hide from her. And as curious as she was, if she tried too hard to delve into what he was hiding, he would only find out and punish her. The only thing she could do was hope he would slip up and let her in, although she doubted that would ever happen. He'd been much more careful about keeping his thoughts and feelings hidden from her.

After he was sure she'd been satiated, he told her to sleep, which of course she had no choice but to do. She immediately laid down, got comfortable and fell asleep, waking much later in the day when the sun was going down.

Klaus hadn't ordered her to stay in her room, but she felt more comfortable staying out of his way. She was afraid if she was around him, he would have more reasons to compel her to do things. Things she knew she wouldn't want to do. It was safer to keep her distance from him.

She was sitting in the corner of the room, watching the bedroom door, when it opened and Elijah walked in. He closed the door behind himself before walking over to her.

"Please, stand," he said, reaching his hand out to her.

She hesitated for a moment before she took his hand and stood up.

"It's too dangerous for you to speak to me, Elijah," she said quietly.

"That's where you're wrong," he replied with just a hint of a smirk. "Have you forgotten that I am an Original as well?"

She was confused for a moment, before realization dawned on her.

"I'm not sure how you will feel about this but—Damon knows you've taken off your bracelet."

She kept her face even, not surprised in the least. "I'm sure I don't have to ask you how he took it."

He nodded. "He was upset, to say the least."

She looked distant for a moment, but kept her even look.

"You've turned it all off, haven't you?" he asked knowingly.

She nodded her head.

"I believe that's a bad idea, Vella. But, I suppose I can't blame you," he replied, quickly changing the subject. "The full moon is in two nights. Klaus is preparing the site where the ritual will happen. He's also gathering items needed for the spell, although I am unsure what he needs."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Something tells me you're not gonna like any of it. I suggest you only turn your emotions off during your time here. I have a feeling you may need use of them soon."

"I don't understand." she replied with confusion.

"Please, just heed my advice."

She nodded her head in agreement, although she wasn't exactly sure what he was asking. At the moment, she couldn't comprehend what feeling emotions might be able to help with. But she knew he wouldn't suggest it if it wasn't important. She decided to keep his advice in mind.

When he was done speaking with her, he compelled her so she was unable to tell anyone she'd spoken to him. In fact, he made sure there were no loopholes in his compulsion, making it virtually impossible for anyone, even Klaus, to find out what he'd been up to.

After making sure she was comfortable and didn't need anything, he left her alone once again.

Although she'd slept most of the day, she was still tired, so she managed to sleep through most of the night, waking early in the morning as the sun was rising.

She stood in the window watching the sun rise over the treetops. She used to enjoy watching the sun rise, watching in awe as a new day dawned, but today she felt nothing. All the beauty and wonder was lost to her and she barely noticed. The only thing she realized was that she had no idea why she used to enjoy watching the sun rise. It was that moment that she decided to turn it all on once again.

The moment she began to feel something again was incredibly painful for her. The overwhelming cascade of emotions almost felt like she'd been physically punched in the stomach. She desperately wanted to turn it all off again, but she couldn't. She knew she needed to feel something, even if it was painful. She knew Elijah was right.

She laid in her bed for a short time almost incapacitated by her anguish. The most prominent of her emotions were fear and regret. She knew it had been wrong to allow Klaus to compel her, and now that she could feel again, she knew Damon would be hurt by this information. But somehow since she'd turned everything off and back on, she was able to see things more clearly than she had before. She now understood what Elijah had meant, and now she only had one more night to prepare. She was unsure if she'd be able to accomplish what she needed to do now, but she wasn't going to give up this time. Too much was riding on it.

She crept downstairs, desperately hoping no one was awake. But as she padded into the kitchen, Klaus was sitting at the kitchen table, a menacing smile on his face.

"Good morning, Vella. How nice of you to join me so early in the morning."

She froze in spot for a moment, terror filling her mind.

"Good morning, Klaus," she replied hesitantly.

"Why so hesitant?" he asked as he stood up.

He had made sure she could feel what he was about to do, and he knew she could feel again. She was so paralyzed with fear, she couldn't even move.

"I'm not," she stammered in reply.

He closed the gap between them in an instant, his face so close to her she could feel his breath on her skin. He moved closer as she flinched, grasping her by the shoulders.

"Did you think you would be able to hide from me, my dear?" he asked quietly, his mouth now close to her ear.

Fear rained through her, making her breathing come in ragged gasps. The more fear she felt, the more she could feel his amusement, and his anticipation.

"Of course not, Klaus," she replied meekly.

Without warning, he sunk his teeth into her neck making it as painful as he could. The more it hurt, the more he enjoyed it. He thought about compelling her to fight back, but he prefered not to compel his prey.

He didn't take much blood, just enough to keep the bond between them open. He didn't want to weaken her, he needed her strong.

"Here," he said as he stuck his arm out to her, while wiping her blood from his lips with the other. "Take some."

She glanced at his arm hesitantly, before moving it up to her lips, piercing his skin reluctantly. She drank very little before pulling away, quickly wiping his blood from her face as if it was burning her.

He grinned maliciously. "I see you've finally learned your place."

She glanced at him quickly before averting her gaze.

"Sit," he said, motioning towards the table.

Once again she hesitated for a moment before she did as she was asked. She knew she had to listen to him, but she couldn't help but resist even a little. She knew it irritated him, but for now he was willing to deal with it. He needed her in good condition since the full moon was only a day and a half away.

He left the room for a moment, returning with a very ancient book and a wooden chest, setting them on the table. The chest was the same one she'd seen when she'd had the opportunity to snoop in his room.

"The spell you need is in this grimoire," he said, pointing to the book. "I'm aware that we don't have everything needed for the spell, but we shall before tomorrow night."

Something in his voice made her shiver violently.

"You have the right to be afraid, sweetheart," he said as he pulled the chest closer. "You're not gonna like what you will have to do, but you _will_ do it."

She tried her best to use their connection to find out what he was talking about, but he had learned a little too well how to keep things from her. However, she was able to pick up one word, sacrifice.

He slowly opened the chest, revealing the contents to her. She cringed as her eyes cast upon the foul and disgusting organ.

"This heart belongs to the very first werewolf," he replied with a hint of pride. "It is kept—fresh, by magical means. This is the main ingredient for the spell, but it is not the only thing required."

She was curious what else was needed, but she had a feeling he wasn't going to tell her until it came time for the spell.

"I want you to take the grimoire up to your room and study the spell until you have it memorized forwards and backwards," he said while gazing deep into her eyes, compelling her. "You will take care of the book and protect it with your life."

"Yes, Klaus."

"Very good, sweetheart," he said as he continued to compel her. "Now go upstairs until I call you."

She took the grimoire from the table and did as she was asked. She went upstairs into her room, sat on the bed and began to study the spell.

She studied the spell until Klaus came upstairs several hours later with two young men for her to feed on. Once again she wanted to refuse, but she didn't dare try. She knew she needed nourishment for the spell and he was going to make sure she got it one way or another. She would rather not be forced to violently kill the innocent young men, so she did what she could to make it less painful for them.

She went back to studying the spell after she'd fed, but she couldn't keep her mind on it. She was positive she'd already memorized it, and that was all Klaus had commanded her to do. Instead, she began flipping through the grimoire looking at the various spells.

She was amazed by some of the spells in the book. Some were so ancient she couldn't even understand the language and some were so complicated, she wasn't even sure anyone would be able to use them. However, she knew she needed to keep this book, even after she managed to get away from Klaus. There were some very useful spells in there, one in particular had caught her attention. But that was the least of her worries at the moment. She needed to worry about the more immediate danger, Klaus.

She was confused on the wording used to describe what would be needed as the sacrifice for the spell, so she was still in the dark about it. But something told her she wasn't going to like it. That was the vibe she'd gotten from Klaus, and she knew she could trust it. He seemed way too pleased with himself. It was enough to send chills down her back.

She desperately wanted to go downstairs in search of Elijah, but she wasn't able to. Klaus had compelled her to stay in her room until he called her, so in her room she had to stay. She could only hope he would visit her with news, before it was too late.

Damon was up early in the morning, eager to speak with Bonnie. He'd slept very little throughout the night, unable to think of anything but what he'd thought of the night before.

After he made himself a cup of coffee, he headed over to Bonnie's house. He refrained from knocking on the door until he could hear movement from inside, not that her father was pleased to find someone at the door so early in the morning, awake or not.

"Damon, what are you doing here so early?" Bonnie asked, stepping out on the front porch.

"I thought maybe you'd be a little more serious about saving Vella."

She wasn't sure if he was being serious or he was teasing her, but it was too early in the morning for either.

"I do need sleep once in awhile," she replied shortly.

"Yeah, yeah, I know that," he said quickly. "But we don't have a lot of time left."

"Did something change since I saw you last night?"

He quickly explained to her about the meeting he had with Constantine, then asked her about his theory.

She stood silent for a few moments, staring past him as if seeing something he couldn't see.

"I think you're right, Damon," she replied ominously. "There would be a magical imprint of sorts on that spot. I'm positive that's why Klaus has chosen it."

"Does this information help you at all?"

"Yes, I think it does," she said with a hopeful smile. "Have faith, Damon. There are so many people who love Vella and want her back as badly as you do."

"Thanks, Bonnie," he said, laying his hand on her shoulder. "I take back everything I said about you being an incompetent witch."

She rolled her eyes. "That's nearly a compliment coming from you."

He laughed lightly. "Call me later."

"Sure thing."

Damon felt much more positive as he left Bonnie's house. In fact, he was finally beginning to have some hope once again. He only hoped his wife was still fighting back, even though he had his doubts. Either way, he would never give up on her. Not until he was truly dead.

The rest of the day, Damon spent at home with a full house. On top of his house guests, Mara and John, and his brother and Elena, there were several guests who visited throughout the day to prepare for the full moon the next evening.

After much debate, everyone who planned to be involved in the upcoming battle agreed to meet at the boarding house late the next afternoon so everyone could be accounted for. They also discussed who should be left behind at the boarding house. That debate didn't go quite as well.

"I'm not staying here," Alaric stated adamantly.

"Damn right you are," Damon replied flatly. "We don't have time to be worried about anyone. We have no idea how many—_people_, Klaus will have with him."

"I have my ring, Damon. I'll be fine."

"You don't know that, Alaric," he replied with frustration. "We don't have any idea what he might be bringing along."

"No, this is about something else, isn't it?" he accused. "Well, I care about Vella, too."

"Yeah! And we all know how much, don't we?" Damon said angrily as he moved closer to him, gazing threateningly.

Everyone in the room suddenly felt uncomfortable, shifting in their seats or where they were standing.

"Damon, that's enough," Stefan said as he stepped between them. "We could use all the help we can get."

He glared at his brother for a moment before backing down.

"Fine! Whatever!" he said throwing up his hands in frustration. "Whatever happens to him, it isn't my fault. Remember that."

"Well I'm not staying here either," Jeremy said, standing up.

"Damn right you are," Damon said quickly. "And so is your sister," he said glancing knowingly at Elena, "And Jenna, and Matt, and hell, if I had a choice, John, too."

"Werewolf or not, I wouldn't be left behind," John replied. "Not when it's my daughter's life in jeopardy."

"The daughter you tried to have killed?"

"When are you gonna give that a rest, Damon?"

"How about never, John? Is that a good answer?"

"Can we stop this, please?" Stefan interrupted, glancing harshly at his brother. "Both of you."

Damon sighed loudly. "This isn't just about my feelings towards John. This will only be his second transformation. He could end up hurting—or killing—the wrong person."

John sat down looking defeated. "He's right."

"Might I interject?" Constantine said as he walked into the room. "I'm sorry for just walking right in, but we can discuss my bad manners another time."

Everyone in the room looked at him with reverance, except, of course, Damon.

"Make yourself at home," he said sarcastically.

"We don't have time for these antics, as you well know, Damon. I came to discuss plans for tomorrow night, but I see you've already begun."

"Feel free to interject," Stefan said, sending his brother a look that shut him up.

"You needn't worry about any of the wolves, including John here," he said to Damon. "He, as well as the rest of them, will be under my control."

"What?" John said, standing up. "What do you mean?"

He smiled slightly. "Control is perhaps the wrong word," he replied, struggling for another word. "I can't control you, exactly. But I will be able to keep you aware of yourself. If that makes more sense to you."

The worry on John's face seemed to fade away, although he still looked a little concerned. It seemed like there was more to it.

"You mean I won't lose control of myself?"

"That's right, John. You will understand much more clearly when you turn."

He shook his head in understanding then sat back down in his seat. Everyone else shifted around uncomfortably once again.

Constantine scanned the room quickly. "You needn't worry about us. All of the wolves will do as I say, as long as I'm not threatened in any way."

"In other words, you have no exact plan?" Damon interrupted.

"No, Damon. Not exactly. Unless you happen to see into the future and know how this will all play out?"

He rolled his eyes.

"Then I suggest you make your plans, Damon. We will do what we can to kill as many of Klaus' minions as possible. Your job is to stop that spell."

"And what about Klaus?"

"Ah, yes. Good question," he replied thoughtfully. "I've wanted him dead for more years than you can imagine. However, I have no need to be the one to do it. As long as he ends up dead, I shall be content."

"Good."

"Unless there is something else to discuss—we shall meet you tomorrow on the north side of the old Lockwood property, just before nightfall."

He nodded in agreement, watching Constantine leave without another word. He remained silent until he was positive he was gone.

"Klaus is mine," he said to no one in particular. "If someone else touches him, I'm gonna have a problem with that."

Everyone in the room glanced at each other knowingly.

"Fine. Now if we're finished discussing this to death, I'm gonna relax and have a few drinks."

His brother rolled his eyes, glancing around the room. "Unless there's something else we need to discuss, why don't we meet here at five tomorrow?"

Everyone nodded in agreement then began murmuring amongst each other, until Damon interrupted.

"And, since my brother obviously didn't think of it," he said loudly. "Anyone who doesn't show up tomorrow—we'll assume they've changed their mind about helping."

"No one's gonna change their mind," Tyler said as he stood up. "We all want Klaus dead."

Damon looked at him and chuckled. "Yeah, and we know why, too."

He glared at Damon furiously. "It's a damn good thing we all care about Vella, because we sure wouldn't help you with your attitude."

"Who asked for your help anyways, mongrel?"

He narrowed his eyes, clenching his hands into fists, then turned around abruptly and ran out of the house. Caroline stood up instantly, following him out of the house, but not before she shot Damon an angry glare.

He chuckled again. "Anyone else have something to say to me?"

Everyone glanced around uncomfortably, silently, before many of them stood up and began to leave, saying their goodbyes in hushed tones.

"And that's how you clear a room," Damon announced after everyone besides the usual house guests had left.

"Why do you have to be such a dick?" Elena asked as she stood up, taking Stefan's hand.

"It's a gift," he replied with a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders.

She gazed at him with frustration, opening her mouth to say something then thought better of it. Instead, she turned on her heel, walking upstairs, Stefan following along behind her.

John was the next to stand up. He wanted to say something to him as well, but he refrained from it. He wasn't in the mood to provoke Damon, who didn't need the help being provoked. So he headed up to his bedroom to avoid him.

Mara was the last one in the room with him. She stayed in her seat for a few moments before walking over to him and taking the glass from his hand.

"Why do you do that, Damon?" she asked with concern, as he narrowed his eyes at her slightly. "Why do you push everyone away?"

"Mara, please give my drink back?" he asked calmly.

"I will, _if_ you promise to listen to me," she said, extending her hand with the glass towards him.

He seemed to carefully ponder her demand before taking the glass from her hand.

"You do know that everyone cares about you, too? Don't you, Damon?"

"If you say so," he replied after he'd taken a drink.

"I don't say so, Damon, I know so," she replied with frustration. "Everyone is so concerned about you. They're afraid you're gonna end up getting yourself killed. And before you respond, I understand how you feel about Vella. I told you I would also give my life for her if it came to that, but, what will happen if you get yourself killed and we save her? What then, Damon? How will she go on without you, knowing you sacrificed yourself for her?"

"What exactly are you suggesting, Mara?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

"You don't have to do this alone. Your friends are there to help. You have to trust them and allow them to help you. As a team you're stronger than you alone, Damon," she paused a moment, tears glistening in her eyes. "I want Vella back as badly as you do. But I also want everyone to survive this battle, too. Especially you, Damon."

She held her gaze for a few moments after she finished speaking, but once the tears that had been threatening to spill began falling from her eyes, she turned away, unable to look at him any longer.

He set his glass on the table beside him and stood up, pulling Mara into a comforting embrace.

"I'm sorry, Mara. I didn't mean to upset you like this," he said gently.

She pulled away from his embrace enough to gaze into his eyes.

"Just promise me you'll let everyone help. Promise me you'll make it back."

He smiled supportively, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll do you one better," he replied. "I promise we'll all make it back."

"Good," she said with a slight smile, wiping away tears. "Anthony needs his aunt and uncle—just as much as I do."

He smiled, wiping a tear from her face that she'd missed.

"I don't know what I would've done without you here the past few days," he said, his smile disappearing. "Before you came here I was nearly out of my mind. I was no good to anyone, especially Vella."

"I know. But none of that matters now," she said, wiping a tear that had rolled down his face. "What matters is tomorrow night. You will save her, Damon. I know you will. You just have to have faith in yourself and your friends."

He nodded lightly. "Thank you, Mara."

She smiled and nodded, pulling herself from his embrace.

"Now make sure you get some sleep tonight," she said before walking away, heading upstairs.

He watched her leave, feeling a jumble of emotions. He felt guilty for treating everyone badly. He knew they were trying to help, but he couldn't help himself. It always made him feel better if he took out his frustrations on everyone else around him, although he never did with his wife. She was the one person who not only understood him, but was able to keep him from acting exactly as he had been.

Once he worked though the guilt, he sat down again taking a drink before he thought about everything else Mara had said to him. It was difficult for him to trust anyone, but he knew she was right. He needed to trust everyone just as he had done in the past. He just couldn't understand why it was so difficult for him now. He wanted to. He needed to. He was just too afraid to give up any of the responsibility. Too much was riding on what would happen tomorrow night, and he couldn't let it go wrong. All he could do was run Mara's words through his head and hope that the advice sunk in, before it was too late.

Several hours later, Damon was sitting on his chair, the light from the almost full moon shining through the window was illuminating him in the otherwise dark room. He was dozing off in a drunken haze, but sleep was elusive to him. No matter how much he drank, he couldn't fall asleep or pass out.

He was about to get out of his seat and head upstairs when he noticed a strange light begin to materialize only feet away from him. Normally he might have jumped out of his seat or reacted in some other way, but he was too drunk to do either. Instead, he stayed in his chair, gazing at the light with curiosity.

It took a minute for the light to fully materialize, but once it had, he finally realized what it was. It was the apparition of Vella's mother, Vivian.

"Vivian?" he asked in surprise.

"Damon," she called in a ghostly voice. "I can't stay long. I'm not sure how long I have."

"Why are you here?" he asked as he stood up from his chair, suddenly feeling much more lucid.

"I came to warn you about tomorrow night," she replied. "I know you have very little faith in your allies, but you must. Without them you won't succeed."

"I want to trust them, but I don't know how to trust."

She smiled at him thoughtfully, reminding him of his wife.

"I can't see into the future any more than you can, Damon. All I can tell you is Bonnie is on the right track. You must make sure she doesn't fail. If anyone can help Vella break Klaus' compulsion, it's her."

"Can't you tell me what Bonnie is planning?"

She nodded her head gently. "I'm afraid not, Damon. I'm already breaking so many rules coming to you like this."

He was curious what she meant about rules, but he had other more important questions on his mind.

"What about, Vella? Is she okay? Can you see her?"

She gazed at him ruefully. "I'm afraid I can't see her, Damon. Klaus has powerful magic at his disposal."

"But not as powerful as Vella, right?"

"Everyone has their weaknesses, Damon. For Vella, it's the love she has for her friends, family and of course, you. But Klaus has his weaknesses as well," she replied, pursing her lips in thought. "You're aware of the bond between them, correct?"

He nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly in anger.

"Vella knows his weaknesses and you can bet she'll use them against him. But first, the compulsion needs to be broken. If you can manage that, then I have complete faith you will destroy Klaus."

He swallowed hard once. "Why did she do it? Why did she allow him to compel her?"

Her eyes looked wistful although she tried to smile supportively. "She couldn't deal with his torture any longer, Damon. She hoped by allowing him to compel her that he would stop."

"Did he?"

"I know you want answers, but I don't have them, Damon," she replied. "I also can't hold myself here much longer. Please take my advice, Damon. Love Vella more than you mistrust everyone else. Your friends _will_ do everything they can to help."

"But—"

"No, Damon. I must go. But before I do," she said, closing her eyes for a moment. "Vella's going to need your love and support when you get her away from Klaus. I know how much you love her, but I also hope you have the patience. She's been through hell and back and it's going to take some time for her to adjust to being free again."

"Of course," he replied, tears glistening in his eyes.

"Now get some sleep," she said with a wink before disappearing almost instantly.

He took a few deep breaths in and out to try and calm himself, fighting back tears. If anyone was right, he knew Vivian was. She'd never steered her daughter wrong before, and she always knew what was right. Now he knew what he had to do, and this time he was positive he could do it.

He sat back down in his chair for a few minutes to think about everything Vivian had said. He wanted to remember every word she said, so he wouldn't forget in the morning. But before long, he became too tired to stay awake any longer and headed up to his bedroom. He was alseep before his head hit the pillow.

Vella was standing in the window of her bedroom staring up at the moon. She had trouble not looking upon it as an enemy, even though it had never personally done anything to her. She secretly wished she could have stopped the moon from becoming full, even if it meant staying with Klaus for longer. She was afraid what tomorrow night would bring. She knew her loved ones would try to save her and she was afraid for them. She didn't want anyone to get hurt or die to save her.

Her heart ached painfully as her thoughts wandered to Damon. She wanted nothing more than to be with him. For him to hold her, stroke her hair. But her hair was the last thing she wanted to be reminded of. She hated how short it was, and the thought just made her want to cry.

She knew Klaus could feel her anguish, but she didn't care. She hoped he could also feel the hatred and loathing she felt towards him. She wanted him to know how much she hated him and that she planned on killing him. She didn't know how, but she would. In fact, he seemed slightly amused by that revelation, but at the same time, she thought she felt something else, apprehension, perhaps. She wasn't sure, but she knew he wasn't as confident as he tried to make everyone believe he was. He had some doubts, even if he did try to keep them hidden, even from himself.

When she tired of staring at the moon, she laid down in bed, pulled the covers over top of her, closed her eyes and imagined Damon's eyes gazing at her lovingly, his strong arms holding her gently. It didn't take long before she drifted off into a restful slumber.

**A/N: It took me a lot to write this chapter and I know the next one is going to be that more difficult, especially with so much going on. It's crazy but I'm so emotionally attached to the characters, I don't even know if that's normal or not. I will do my best to update as soon as I can, but there's so much involved I wanna make sure I get it right.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	113. Chapter 113

Chapter 113 ~ The Eleventh Hour

Vella woke up early the next morning, feeling like she'd actually rested for the first time in a long time. It had been so long since she'd felt so wide awake, she'd almost forgotten how it felt. She could only hope that her moment of clarity lasted the entire night. She knew she was going to need it if she was going to survive.

As usual, her clothes had been chosen for her and were lying on the dresser, neatly folded. She was surprised to find something that she would actually want to wear for a change, just a simple pair of black jeans and a dark blue t-shirt.

She put the clothes on, curious as to why Klaus had chosen something she would want to wear for a change. The only answer she could think of was that he was doing it to screw with her mind. It didn't matter to her. Either way, she was happy to be in something comfortable to wear.

She delayed her departure from the bedroom for as long as she possibly could, before she finally decided to head downstairs. She knew if she didn't, he would come find her—and that was the last thing she wanted.

She sensed something strange when she walked downstairs and no one was around. She didn't know why, but it felt a little disconcerting. She knew Klaus had many things to prepare for the evening, so she couldn't understand why there was no one in the house. So she stayed quiet for a moment, until she heard movement coming from the kitchen. She headed there, hoping to find out what was going on.

"Good morning, Vella," Elijah greeted her cordially.

She narrowed her eyes slightly in surprise. "Where is everyone?"

"Klaus is out with his minions. I'm afraid I have no idea what he's up to."

"Is Clark with him?"

"Yes," he replied regretfully. "I'm afraid you won't be leaving this house any time soon."

She sat down at the kitchen table, unsure what to do with herself.

"Are you prepared for tonight?" he asked as he sat on the chair across the table from her.

She glanced at him questioningly. "How could I possibly be prepared for tonight?"

He smiled slightly, seemingly amused. "I'm not sure you understood what I was asking."

She gazed at him pensively for a moment. "I understood," she replied with a nod. "I'm just not sure I can do it."

He smiled at her encouragingly. "Do you think I would have helped you if I didn't think you could?"

"I'm unsure it was wise to put so much confidence in me, Elijah," she replied.

"I'm rarely wrong," he said, reaching across the table and grasping her hand supportively. "I know you're strong enough to do this."

She shook her head. "I don't feel strong."

"Don't doubt yourself," he said, squeezing her hand. "If you weren't strong, Klaus never would have bothered with you. He knows what you're capable of. Why do you think he spent so much time trying to break you?"

"Because he enjoys it?"

"Yes, I suppose that is true, Vella. But that's not the reason why. He needed to make sure you would be strong enough to cast this spell. You proved that you were, beyond even his expectations."

"So you're saying, if I had just caved to his whims or broke down, he would have left me alone?"

He shook his head sadly. "No, I'm afraid not. He either would have continued to push you until you were insane, or, if he was feeling generous, he would have killed you."

"So I was screwed no matter what I would have done?"

He smiled lightly at her choice of vocabulary. "Those aren't exactly the words I would have chosen, but, yes."

She pulled her hand from his, folding them on the table before glancing down at them. "There's only one problem, Elijah. He's compelled me to cast this spell. There's no way to break that."

"Look at me," he said, waiting for her to raise her head. "Your will is very strong. He knows this. I know this. Even your friends and loved ones know this. The only one who doesn't know this is you."

"Maybe everyone sees what isn't really there."

"Are you kidding me?" he asked with surprise. "No one has ever been able to withstand Klaus as you have. No one."

"What about the witch he's always speaking about?"

He shook his head. "She was his lover. Anything she did for him was done out of affection."

"Oh."

He stood up from his seat, strolling over to stand in front of her, bending down to gaze deeply into her eyes. "You can do this. You will believe this. You have to."

She seemed mesmorized for a moment, silent, before blinking her eyes. "Did you compel me?"

He chuckled. "No, my dear. I wish I could compel you to feel strong and confident, but even that is beyond me. That's why Klaus hasn't tried the same."

She was quiet for a few moments lost in her thoughts, before she suddenly blurted out, "I'm scared."

"I'm afraid I can't do anything for that either," he replied sympathetically. "But you can have this," he said, handing her a tiny diamond charm.

She took the tiny charm in her palm, eyeing it curiously. "What's this?"

His gaze became solemn. "This was something I gave to Katherine a very long time ago, before she met my brother."

"I can't take this, Elijah," she said, handing it towards him.

He took her by the wrist, and with his other hand he curled his fingers over hers, forcing her hand to close over the charm. "Yes, you can. It will bring you luck, Vella."

"Won't Klaus—"

"Klaus has never seen this, Vella. I gave this to Katherine as, well, don't you worry about the why," he replied sorrowfully. "I want you to have it now."

She glanced at her hand as he released his grip, looking over the charm once again. "Thank you, Elijah."

He smiled at her as he noticed a glimmer of hope in her eyes. It was what he had been hoping to see.

She took the charm, attaching it to her lapis necklace, which was always hidden under her shirt. After placing it back in her shirt, she glanced at Elijah, who seemed to be watching her with interest.

"I apologize for changing the subject...however, Klaus wanted me to make sure you fed."

"Elijah—"

"Vella, you must do as he asks, even now."

She knew he was right, but she didn't have to like it. She did do as she was asked though, feeding from not one, but three innocent victims. It made her heartsick, choice or not. When she was finished, she decided to go back to her bedroom, hopefully for the last time.

It was much later when she heard a commotion coming from downstairs. Even if she hadn't known that it meant Klaus was back, she would have felt his presence, and he seemed a little too pleased with himself. It only made her feel that much more uneasy.

It was quite awhile before Klaus made his way up to the bedroom to see her, entering the room wearing a spiteful smile. He didn't immediately say anything to her, but he didn't have to. His emotions were so powerful at that moment that she could feel exactly what he was feeling; cold, cruel, vindictive and triumphant. It made a shiver course through her body.

"Elijah tells me you fed well today," he said with the same cold grin. "I hope you're prepared for tonight."

"I am, Klaus," she replied quietly with defeat.

"Good," he said as he moved closer to her, gazing deeply into her eyes so he could compel her. "I want you to stay up in this room until I call you."

"Yes, Klaus," she replied meekly.

His eyes studied her up, then down, before landing on her eyes again. "It's really a shame you're gonna die tonight, Vella."

"What?" she asked, her eyes wide in surprise.

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" he asked with a sick and twisted smile. "You'll be the first to die once the spell has been cast."

"I don't understand," she said with fear, shaking her head furiously.

"Did you think I was going to allow you to live after all of this? Did you really?" he asked with a sadistic laugh.

"You bastard!" she screamed, before swinging her hand in an attempt to slap him.

He grasped her by the wrist before she was able to make contact with him, pulling her against him tightly, his face contorted into a sneer. "I really am sorry, sweetheart. I just can't risk it. You're much too powerful to be left alive."

She glared at him furiously. "Why don't you just have the balls to admit you're afraid of me?"

He laughed evilly. "I'm not afraid of you. I just don't want to deal with you any longer."

She snorted, her eyes narrowing into a deadly glare.. "You have one shot at it Klaus, so you better make it count. Because I'm going to kill you when this is over."

He glared at her pensively for a moment, then without warning he grabbed her by the throat, lifting her off the floor and slammed her up against the wall. "Do _not_ threaten me!" he shrieked, before slowly lowering her to the floor again.

She hadn't been completely surprised by his outburst, but she had been taken off guard by the intensity. However, she didn't regret what she had said for even one moment. Even as she stared deeply into his eyes, feeling every ounce of hatred flowing through their bond, the screaming pain from her lungs as he held her throat closed, she couldn't regret it. She meant every word she said.

"I applaud your courage," he said as he slowly released his grip on her neck. "But you'll never even have an opportunity to try."

She cleared her throat while continuing to gaze at him with confidence. "I guess we'll just have to see about that."

He glared at her furiously, resisting an urge to hurt her further. "You better be ready when I call for you, Vella. You don't want me to hurt someone because of your disobedience, do you?"

She narrowed her eyes angrily. "Of course not. I'll be ready," she replied, adding, "just as you commanded," in a slightly sarcastic manner.

He glared at her for a moment before leaving the room swiftly.

She didn't move until she was positive he was downstairs, sighing with relief as she laid down on the bed to rest—and to think.

Damon opened his eyes, disappointed to find himself in bed alone. He'd been dreaming of his wife so clearly, he almost thought she'd been in the bed with him. The thought was enough to make him want to curl up under his covers and feel sorry for himself, but he couldn't do that, especially today. He knew he had a lot of things to do and very little time to prepare. And he didn't intend to fail. He couldn't let his wife down.

After a very quick shower, he left the house to do some hunting. He needed a great deal of blood to make sure he was strong enough for the evening, so he had to find a lot of different victims. He would've rather completely drained a few people to save himself time, but somehow he didn't think it was right to kill people to save his wife. He knew she wouldn't approve and that was good enough for him.

When he arrived back home from hunting, he walked into the livingroom to find his brother staring out the large picture window. He knew what he was feeling by the way his shoulders were hunched, but, he also saw his reflection in the glass—he was brooding.

"No good morning greeting, dear brother?" Damon asked with sarcasm.

Stefan turned around, his face sorrowful. "Why would I do that, Damon? Is there something good about it?"

"Whoa! Why don't you dial back the emo a little, Stefan? You're beginning to sound like me."

He gazed at his brother evenly. "For one day, can't we just act how we feel?"

He pondered the question for a moment. "Do you really think it would be wise for me to act as I feel, today of all days?"

"Point well taken," he replied, nodding in agreement.

"While the really good ideas are flowing," Damon said sarcastically. "Have you eaten yet?"

"We're _not_ talking about that."

"We most definitely _are_, Stefan. You need to be strong for tonight. And bagged blood just isn't gonna do it."

"It'll have to do, Damon. I'm not feeding from someone and that's final," he replied adamantly.

He narrowed his eyes. "You better have more than enough, or you might as well stay home tonight."

Stefan snorted, unable to keep himself calm. "I know we don't want to speak about this, but you seem to forget that I have a connection with Vella as well."

Damon glared at his brother with a deadly gaze. "I think you better shut your mouth about now, _brother_."

"No, Damon. You need to hear this," he replied, taking a step backwards. "I'm not in love with her, but I do care about her deeply. I'm not about to do anything that would jeopardize our chances of saving her tonight. If you don't believe anything else, believe that."

Damon had clenched his fists the moment his brother mentioned his wife's name, but once he allowed the words to sink in, he realized he was telling the truth. He didn't like it at all, but for once, his brother's connection would serve his purpose.

"Fine, Stefan. I'll take you at your word, _this_ time," he replied, relaxing his clenched fists. "But if I think you'll end up a liablility, I _will_ deal with you."

He shook his head in understanding. "I spoke to Bonnie while you were out."

"And?"

"And I've asked her to use magic to keep Elena, Jeremy, Jenna, Matt and Mara here, and safe."

"What about Alaric?"

"Damon, he's made his decision."

He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Whatever, Stefan. When he gets hurt, or worse, don't you forget who told you so."

"I think he'll be fine."

He rolled his eyes. "What about, John? I don't care what Constantine says, he's a liability."

"I don't think he'll be an issue, Damon. But you can always talk to him when he comes back."

"Back? Back from where?"

"I'm not his keeper, Damon. He went out shortly after you left."

"Good," he replied. "Maybe we'll luck out and he won't show up."

Stefan shook his head in disbelief. "Why do you always have to talk about him like that?"

"Seriously? How could you even ask me that?" he replied with surprise. "He tried to kill Vella, several times. I don't care if he's made up for it. I don't care that he's her father. I don't even care what she thinks about him. I will never forgive him."

"That's really a shame, Damon," he replied, shaking his head in disappointment.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, then someone walked in. Both brothers knew by the footfalls who it was.

"There's our witch now," Damon said with slight sarcasm.

"Be nice," Stefan whispered so only they could hear. "_If _you remember how."

He rolled his eyes in response.

After cordial greetings, Stefan left the house to gather Elena and everyone else who would be staying at the house that night.

"What's the good word?" he asked her.

"I'm all set, Damon," she replied with confidence.

"I'm putting my faith in you, Bonnie. _Don't_ let me down."

She nodded her head, but her gaze was serious. "The spell is simple, Damon. I'm just worried about interference from other witches."

"Don't worry about them. They're the first on our hit list," he explained. "Without them, Klaus won't stand a chance."

"I hope you're right."

"Oh ye of little faith," he replied with a wink.

Outwardly, she shook her head in disbelief. But inwardly, she was pleased to see Damon in such a confident mood. She could only hope he wasn't faking it. He needed to be at his best.

It wasn't long before the boarding house began to become crowded, at least in Damon's mind. But as much as he loathed having so many people around him, he was reminded of his talk with Vella's mother. These were his friends, even if he didn't always think of them that way. When he needed help they were always there, and still are. He realized he should be a little more grateful for their support. Without them, he knew he had no chance of saving his wife.

The mood in the house during the first few hours seemed to be calm and easy going. But as it became later and later, the activity in the room became much more subdued. Everyone was becoming anxious, especially since there were people missing.

"I've called everyone I could think of and no one's seen Tyler," Matt said quietly to the Salvatore brothers. "And Care went out looking for him earlier, but she never found him."

"When was the last time his father saw him?" Stefan asked.

"He said he saw him when he arrived home last night, but he hasn't seen him since," he replied.

"And he never saw him leave the house?"

"No."

He glanced at his brother who seemed unconcerned.

"He's probably with his kin," Damon suggested. "What about his Uncle Mason?"

Matt shook his head. "Mason is with Constantine, and neither of them have seen Ty."

Elena came up to the group looking anxious. "Uncle John isn't back either."

Everyone glanced at each other uneasily, before Damon called over Bonnie.

"I don't think it's a coincidence that the only people missing are werewolves. What do you think, Bonnie?" he asked.

The look she gave Damon was all he needed to know he was right. He just didn't know what to do about it.

"I'll be right back," he said quickly, before dashing out of the house and into the backyard.

Once he was outside, he walked swiftly until he came to a small clearing he'd often visited with his wife when they wanted to be outside and alone. He sat down on the grass, pulled his knees close to his body and covered his face with his hands, like Vella often did when she was feeling lost and out of control. It was very rare for Damon to feel the way he did at this moment, and he rarely knew what to do with these feelings when he did feel them. But somehow, sitting in the clearing seemed appropriate. It was what his wife often did when she wasn't sure how to deal with her emotions. And with John and Tyler missing, he was worried he was going to let her down. As little as he cared for either them, he knew she did, and the worst part was, he was almost positive that it had something to do with Klaus' spell. If that was true, he'd already let her down. It was the one thing he vowed he would never do again. He could only hope he would be able to make it up to her one day.

After convincing himself it would be useless to go in search of John and Tyler, he strolled back into the boarding house, everyone glancing at him with curious expressions as he walked in. They were completely silent, even as he poured himself a drink.

"Damon," Stefan called, a disappointed look on his face.

"It's _one_ drink, brother," he replied with narrowed eyes. "One. That's it."

He approached his brother slowly, leaning close to him as he spoke. "What are we gonna do about John and Tyler?"

"There's nothing we can do now. We're just gonna have to hope we can save them from whatever Klaus has planned for them," he stated matter-of-factly.

Normally, Stefan might have challenged him or disagreed with him, but he noticed the pain in his brother's eyes and knew he would have tried something if he thought it was possible to save them.

He placed a supportive hand on his brother's shoulder. "We're gonna save her, Damon. You can bet I'll do everything I can to make sure of it."

"I know you will, Stefan," he replied, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder as well. "Thank you."

He was surprised by his brother's words, but he didn't let it show on his face. He could tell his brother was being genuine for once, although he was unsure exactly why the unusual display of affection—especially in front of a room full of people.

"I want to thank all of you," Damon said as he turned to everyone who was gathered in the room. "No matter what happens tonight—thank you for being here. I appreciate it."

Everyone in the room was shocked by his declaration, and no one knew exactly what to say to him, since it was so unlike him to thank anyone. But soon the awkward silence was broken by Anthony's cry of frustration, which sufficiently distracted everyone from the uncomfortable situation.

While everyone else went back to the conversations they'd been having before Damon interrupted them, he walked over to Anthony and picked him up in his arms, making the little boy smile brightly.

"Do you know what Anthony?" he said in a sweet voice. "Tomorrow when you wake up, Aunt Vella will be home to see you."

"She will?" he asked with excitement. "Aunt Vella will be home?"

"Yup. And I bet she can't wait to visit with you," he said tickling the boy lightly. "So you have to promise me something, little dude."

"What?"

"Make sure you go to bed for your mom tonight, okay?"

"Okay, Uncle Damon," he said with a bright smile.

He smiled as he ruffled the boy's hair lightly, before handing him back to his mother.

Mara smiled, laying her free hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, Damon."

He wrapped his arm around her and the boy in another uncharacteristic show of affection. "Don't you worry, Mara. I won't break my promise to you."

She smiled, but there were tears in her eyes, which she tried to hide before she pulled away from him and left the room, carrying her son with her.

Damon glanced around the room one time, hoping this wouldn't be the last time he would cast his eyes upon his friends. He would never tell anyone that he was afraid, more afraid than he'd been all his life. Only this time it wasn't just about him, or even Vella, it was about his brother and everyone else he cared about, even when he denied caring about them. He would do everything he could to protect them all, he just wasn't sure it would be enough.

After he spoke to Bonnie about the spell to keep everyone inside the boarding house, he went into the kitchen, rooting through the fridge until he found some blood. He had eaten enough earlier in the day, but he felt hungry, or maybe it was the inner turmoil and rage that made him feel like he needed blood. Either way, he drank enough until he felt satiated once again. He knew he couldn't afford to feel shaky now.

When he finally walked back into the livingroom, everyone seemed incredibly anxious. Instead of standing around and waiting, he suggested heading out to the old Lockwood property, since there was no reason to stand around waiting at the boarding house. There were a few disagreements about his decision, but eventually that was what everyone decided was best.

Damon left quickly, not wanting to say goodbye to anyone. He fully intended on coming back home and he didn't want to give anyone the idea he wasn't. He knew everyone saw him as suicidal, but, he was far from that. He would die, if that's what it took to save his wife. But without her, he was already dead inside. Life held little meaning for him without her.

By the time they arrived at the old Lockwood property, the Firsts were already there. Everyone kept their distance from them, whose gathering numbered in the dozens. Some were still in their human form, like Constantine, but most of them were in their wolf form, sitting on their haunches, tongues lolling out of their maws full of very large, sharp teeth.

"You're early," Constantine said to Damon as he approached him.

"I don't like to be late," he replied, scanning the area quickly.

"That's something we have in common."

He raised his eyebrow, a strange grin on his face. "That's the _only_ thing we have in common."

"I admire your mettle, Damon. However, I think you'll need more than that tonight."

"Maybe so," he replied. "But I have just as much to lose as you do."

He nodded his head lightly in agreement before he left to rejoin the rest of the werewolves.

"Well, this is it, little brother," Damon said as he turned to face Stefan. "I hope you're ready."

He nodded his head, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"I hope so, Stefan. I really hope so."

Stefan frowned slightly as he looked away, removing his hand from his shoulder. He knew the underlying meaning of what his brother had relayed to him, and it had nothing to do with asking if he was ready. He was saying goodbye, in case he didn't make it through the night. He didn't even want to think about the possibility. He wouldn't allow it. Everyone was going to make it out of this night alive, no matter what he had to do.

Vella spent the entire day, either in bed, or standing in front of the bedroom window in an attempt to see what Klaus was up to. She couldn't see much, but she was much too anxious to keep still. She could feel he was up to something she wasn't going to like, something she wasn't anticipating, and she really wanted to know what it was.

The sun was beginning its descent in the sky before Klaus came up to the bedroom to see her, bringing Clark with him. He compelled her to only use magic when she was told she could by Klaus, then the warlock removed the bracelet that had kept her from casting magic from her wrist. After eyeing her up and down, she was directed to walk downstairs, Klaus in the lead with Clark behind her.

Each step she took, she became more and more anxious, and Klaus became more and more pleased. She wasn't sure what was awaiting her downstairs, but she knew it couldn't be anything good.

When they walked into the kitchen, she let out a sigh of relief as she noticed Elijah there, however, her relief was very short lived just by the look he'd shot her when Klaus wasn't looking. Something was going on and she wasn't going to like it.

Klaus looked at Clark. "It's time to take her outside."

The warlock nodded his head before waving his hand quickly.

Klaus grabbed a hold of her wrist, gazing into her eyes deeply, once again compelling her. "You will not disobey me. Understand?"

"Yes, Klaus," she replied meekly.

He grinned maliciously before pulling her outside roughly. But instead of heading to the old Lockwood property, he dragged her around the house, through the backyard, stopping at the door of an old barn. There were several people standing by the barn. Some were definitely vampires, and she was sure the others were all witches or warlocks, although she couldn't be positive without being able to use magic.

"Go ahead," Klaus said to her with a smirk. "Go inside."

She glanced at him apprehensively. "Why?"

"Do what you're told," he demanded.

She knew she didn't want to see what was behind that door, but being under his compulsion gave her no choice in the matter. She walked to the door reluctantly, pulling it open slowly, her eyes immediately falling on the bodies of two men lying on the dirt floor of the barn, scarcely noticing the two witches standing nearby.

"Get inside, Vella," Klaus said as he pushed her through the entrance.

The men on the floor stirred as they heard his voice, turning to face the newcomers.

"John? Tyler? What is this about, Klaus?" she asked frantically as she turned to face him.

"You mean I didn't tell you?" he asked with a sarcastic grin. "You need to sacrifice a werewolf for the spell."

"Sacrifice? You mean kill?" she asked with tears in her eyes.

"Yes, that's exactly what it means," he said with a diabolical grin. "But you see, it couldn't be just any werewolf. It had to be one that the witch's family had cursed. So, that's why it has to be Tyler or your father."

She glanced apologetically at the men on the ground before gazing at Klaus pleadingly. "I can't do it."

He grinned evilly. "Yes, you will. You either choose who to sacrifice, or I will kill both of them."

She glanced at the men helplessly. "You can't make me choose. I can't do that."

"You can and you will," he replied as he grasped her by the wrist, pulling her towards him. "You've got five minutes before I make you kill both of them."

"Please, Klaus. Don't make me do this," she begged.

He released his grip on her wrist, gazing at her furiously. "I'm giving you five minutes alone with them to decide. Consider that my mercy and do _not_ ask for anything more."

She watched him leave before she knelt on the ground between the two men, who were now sitting up. They were dirty and bruised, but otherwise they seemed fine.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized with tears in her eyes. "This is all my fault."

"No, this is my fault," John said, reaching out for her hand, grasping it tightly. "All of this began with me. If anyone should die, it should be me."

She bit her lip, shaking her head furiously as she tried her best not to cry. "I can't."

He squeezed her hand supportively as he fought back tears of his own. "You can and you will. Tyler is still young. He has his whole life ahead of him."

"But, you're, my father," she stammered, tears flowing freely. "I can't do it."

He frowned, placing his hand on the side of her face. "You can do this. I know you can. You're just as strong as your mother was." He paused for a moment as she shook her head in refusal. "This is what's right, Vella."

"But you're my father. How is that right?"

He pulled her into an embrace, holding her tightly. "I've lived my life, made so many mistakes. Now let my death count for something," he said quietly. "I'm so proud of who you've become, Vella. I wish I'd been able to get past my prejudices sooner."

She pulled away from his embrace slightly, gazing into his eyes, although she could barely see through the tears. "I'm sorry, too. I could've used another dad in my life."

He smiled slightly. "That's my girl."

She pulled him into a tight embrace as she felt another wave of tears threatening. "I promise it won't hurt—Dad."

He pulled away, grasping her hands tightly. "I trust you."

As she was about to say something more, Klaus walked in, interrupting the moment.

"Have you made your decision?"

She turned towards him slowly, shaking her head. She was too afraid to speak for fear she would begin to sob.

"Good. Then let us go. It's nearly time."

"Wait," she said as she stood up. "Let Tyler go first."

He eyed her curiously before nodding his head at the witches."He's free to go."

Tyler glanced at him with trepidation before he got to his feet. He hesitated, afraid to do anything that might be seen as a threat.

"It's okay, Ty," Vella said. "He'll keep his word."

"I don't want to leave you here," he replied regretfully.

"I'll be fine. Go back to Damon and tell him what's happened."

He glanced uneasily at Klaus for a moment before looking once again at Vella.

"Okay," he replied, before running from the barn as fast as he could go.

"This connection has had its drawbacks," Klaus said to Vella. "But I see this time it was an advantage."

She narrowed her eyes dangerously. "There is _no_ advantage to this connection."

He grinned malevolently. "I only allowed him to live so he could run and tell your friends what you're about to do."

She closed her eyes for a moment to calm herself. When she opened them again, he was grinning in amusement.

"Let us go—before you try something stupid," he said as he reached his hand towards her.

She took his hand, albeit reluctantly. She had no choice in the matter so there was no reason to refuse him. However, she continuously glanced back at her father while they walked.

They walked back around to the front of the house, where a pickup truck was waiting for them. After making Vella and her father get into the bed of the truck, Klaus climbed in with them.

As they rode to their destination, John wrapped his arm around his daughter, holding her tightly. Klaus watched with amusement, but neither of them would allow his enjoyment to ruin the last moments they would share together. Regrets were running rampant through both of their minds, but they had little time to dwell since the ride was a short one.

When they arrived at the old Lockwood property, Vella could see dozens of vampires and witches all gathered around in anticipation. She glared at them angrily as she climbed out of the truck, her father close behind her.

Her eyes could also see well into the distance, where her friends and loved ones were also gathered. She felt her stomach sink, so she looked away, preferring to gaze upon the ground than seeing the look of disappointment on their faces.

"Well, this is finally it," Klaus said with excitement. "I will finally rid this world of those vile werewolves."

"And I'll rid myself of you," Vella replied with disgust.

He laughed in amusement before grasping her by the wrist. "Do you really hate me that much that you would welcome your own death?"

She gazed deep into his eyes, responding with conviction. "I do."

"That's really too bad," he replied. "We could have made a great team, you and I."

She wanted to say more, but she was positive he could feel her hatred through their bond. She was sure it spoke much louder than any words could possibly express.

He laughed before turning to his assembled minions, barking orders.

Vella glanced in Elijah's direction while Klaus was too busy to notice. She was hoping he would—at the least—give her a hopeful look. Instead, he returned her look with one of sorrow, mouthing an apology. It definitely wasn't what she had expected to see.

While she was lost in thought, she glanced at her father when an idea hit her. She checked to make sure Klaus was still occupied before she pulled her necklace out of her shirt and removed the diamond charm that Elijah had given her. She quickly handed it to John, who immediately stuffed it into his pocket.

"What's this?" he asked quietly.

"Just keep it in your pocket and make sure you don't lose it," she replied just as quietly. "I'm gonna try something to protect you. I just can't promise it will work."

He smiled slightly. "That you're willing to try gives me hope."

"I'm glad you think so, but I'm not so sure."

He reached out and grabbed a hold of her hands. "I trust you."

She couldn't look at him any longer as tears began to develop in her eyes, so she pulled him into a tight embrace, sobbing as she did so.

"I'm so sorry—Dad," she said between sobs.

He pulled away slightly so he could gaze into her eyes. "You have nothing to be sorry for. If anyone should be sorry it's me. I failed you as a father, and for that I'm truly sorry, Vella."

She attempted to smile, but she just couldn't. "I swear I'll make you proud."

"You already have," he replied, silent tears falling down his face.

Klaus interrupted them suddenly, grabbing a hold of Vella's wrist, pulling her out of her father's grasp. "The moon is almost at it's zenith, it's time."

She glanced at her father helplessly, before she responded to him.

"Yes, Klaus."

**A/N: I thought that Klaus would be dealt with by the end of this chapter, but some other things had to happen first, and, well, the chapter went way longer than I'd planned. Sorry about that. Obviously, it will be all over next chapter, one way or the other. It took me twice as long to get this chapter done, so I can't promise I will update quickly, but I'll try.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	114. Chapter 114

Chapter 114 ~ Zenith

Klaus pulled Vella by the wrist while Elijah did the same with John. They were heading towards a large group of witches who were standing around in a circle. It was the moment he'd been waiting for for so long and he wasn't going to let anything go wrong. He was grinning wildly as they reached their destination amongst the witches.

As she was pulled along, Vella desperately wanted to call out to Damon, call out to her friends and tell them goodbye, tell them she was sorry, tell them it was useless to try and save her, but she couldn't do it, she couldn't even make the words come out of her mouth if she'd tried. Besides, she knew it would be almost impossible for them to hear her over all the activity, although it would've made her feel better if she could have. All she wanted to do was tell Damon how much she loved him just one more time. Instead, she could only glare furiously at Klaus as he was grinning in triumph. She swore she would wipe that smirk off his face personally, if it was the last thing she would ever do.

Klaus handed Vella the grimoire, which Elijah had been carrying, then called for Clark, who showed up moments later carrying the wooden box that held the heart of the first werewolf. He took the box from him, holding onto it for a few moments before offering it to her.

"Take it," he said with narrowed eyes.

She tucked the grimoire under her arm before taking the box from him.

"There's a knife in the box as well. You know, for killing your father," he said coldly.

Her eyes widened and she had to blink back a few tears threatening to spill as she glanced once at John. He was trying his best to be brave, but she saw the sorrow in her eyes. It only made her stomach lurch so much she wanted to get sick.

Klaus laughed derisively. "I must thank you, Vella. These past few weeks have been—fun."

She narrowed her eyes dangerously but didn't respond. She didn't need to. He could feel exactly how she felt towards him at that moment. Complete and utter hatred. It made him quit laughing, but his grin didn't vanish completely. He thought he'd won and he couldn't help but be pleased with himself. He also knew she was powerless to stop him.

As a precaution, Klaus once again compelled Vella to cast the spell without interruption, and when it was completed, she was to do nothing. He wasn't willing to take any chances she would escape from him. And this would assure him that he wouldn't fail in killing her when she was finished.

She glanced once helplessly at Elijah, who smiled supportively. She hoped it meant he would help her, but she couldn't be sure. He'd already done so much to help. However, she had no idea how far he was willing to go to stop his brother.

After speaking with Clark, Klaus decided it was time. He instructed the witches to move aside, directing Vella to a three foot high boulder that had been hidden from her view. He took the grimoire from under her arm, placed it on the boulder, opening it to the page with the spell.

"It's time, Vella," he said ominously, sending a shiver down her spine.

She wanted to wait, she tried to wait, but his compulsion overpowered her. All she could do was what he'd instructed her to do. She had to begin casting the spell.

She shot an apologetic glance at her friends and loved ones before glancing at the spell in the grimoire in front of her. She took a long, deep breath before she began to recite the beginning of the spell, drawing in power from around her. She felt the witches and warlocks around her shifting their magic to allow her through, although they knew what it would mean for their safety., it would make them vulnerable to the enemies around them, their spells the only thing keeping them at bay at the moment. However, Vella's spell took precedence, and it couldn't be successfully cast with the protection spells in place. So they did what was necessary.

The moment the protection spells were dropped, chaos ensued. All of the Firsts transformed into their wolf forms, including Constantine, and began to attack any and all of Klaus' minions, vampires, witches, it didn't matter, they attacked any and all. And although Klaus' minions numbered in the hundreds and there were only a couple of dozen Firsts, his minions began to fall—and quickly.

Damon set out to do what he'd promised Bonnie, and that was take care of the witches and warlocks. He managed to kill a few of them, before they got wise to his plan and began to use their magic against him all at once. When Stefan realized that was what they were up to, he began to help his brother out with them. He knew he wouldn't be able to take them on all alone, and it was important to kill them quickly.

Caroline and Alaric didn't stray too far from Bonnie. Their job was to keep her safe so she could work on her spell without interruption. And while Caroline was relatively new to being a vampire—and fighting—she was able to hold her own, with a little advice from Alaric.

Tyler had transformed at the same moment the Firsts did and was fighting with them, although he had decided to stick close to Bonnie as well, just in case. He desperately wanted to go after Klaus himself, but Constantine's influence over him kept him from trying anything reckless or foolish. He didn't like to feel like he had no control over himself, but he was slightly grateful for it at the same time. He wasn't sure what stupid and foolish thing he might try if he didn't have his influence. He was going to have to settle for killing regular vampires, which didn't seem so bad to him.

After dispatching several witches, Damon easily took out a few vampires that had come too close to him. And after each kill, he would glance longingly at his wife, hoping he would find a way to somehow stop her before it was too late. But he knew he couldn't, and he was afraid to even try. He remembered what happened the last time one of her spells was interrupted, and was afraid to attempt something like that again. He had to trust Bonnie would be able to accomplish what she'd promised she would do. He couldn't think of what might happen if she couldn't.

Stefan stuck close to his brother, afraid of what he might do if he had the chance. He knew he wanted Klaus and he knew he would stop at nothing to exact his revenge upon him. But, he also knew he was well guarded and it would be far too dangerous for him to try and attack him at the moment. There were far too many vampires and witches still left alive and they needed to be dealt with first. He could only hope his brother wouldn't become impatient and reckless in the meantime.

Only minutes in to the spell, Vella raised the magically preserved werewolf heart high while chanting. It burst into flame almost instantly, a magical blue flame that cast an eerie light on the chaos surrounding her. It was bright enough to distract everyone for an instant before they snapped back to reality and the chaos continued again.

Klaus watched the action around him with pleasure. More pleasure than he'd ever experienced in his very long life. He was enjoying the chaos he'd created and was relishing in the thought that soon he would have the world virtually to himself. No longer would he have to watch his back for the Firsts. He would be able to do what he desired. His only one regret would be destroying Vella. He wanted to make her his. However, he knew she was far too dangerous. And if anyone could manage to break his compulsion it would be her. He couldn't risk it. Not if he wanted the world to himself. He had hoped that she would want him if he killed Damon. However, he knew—no, he felt—that she would never feel anything but loathing and disgust towards him. He had never really been in love, but through their connection he could feel how much she loved Damon, and he was positive there would be no way she would ever forget him. So while it was a shame to destroy her, that's what he needed to do.

Although Vella was compelled to complete the spell with no interruptions, she still felt hesitant while she was chanting. The moment she was dreading was almost at hand, and the closer she came to it, the more ill she felt. She hadn't been anticipating Klaus adding the extra part to his compulsion about no interruptions, because she had planned to cast a spell on the charm she'd given to John to protect him. But now she was unsure she would be able to. And even if she managed to break his compulsion, she had to contend with Clark, who was standing nearby just in case. She was positive he would stop her from trying anything, but she still had to try.

She could hear the sounds of screaming, growling, tearing and bones breaking over top of her chanting, but none of that could distract her. Even the sound of Damon yelling, taunting his opponents wasn't enough to distract her.

As she came to the part she was dreading—the sacrifice—she felt her heart begin to beat so quickly she hoped it would kill her. Anything that would stop her from doing what she had to do. Unfortunately, she knew that wasn't going to happen, no matter how hard she wished it to be.

She picked up the knife from the wooden box, glancing at it quickly to make sure it was sharp—somehow she wouldn't have been surprised if Klaus had made sure it was intentionally dull—then she took a hold of John's shoulder with her other hand. She tried not to look into his eyes, but she was unable to avoid them. Silent tears began to fall from her eyes as she noticed the look of sorrow in his. She wanted to stop, desperately, but she had no choice, no free will. She knew he understood, but that didn't give her any comfort. She pulled her father close, swallowing hard. "I'm so sorry," she mouthed as she raised the knife up to his chest.

"I forgive you," he said as tears rained from his eyes.

She plunged the knife deep into his chest, straight into his heart, anguish sweeping through her as the light faded from his eyes and his body fell limply into her arms. If she had been in complete control of herself she wouldn't have been able to go on, but the compulsion she was under would not allow her to falter. She laid the limp body of her father gently against the boulder and continued on with the spell.

Everyone who knew Vella paused the moment she stabbed John through the heart, unable to believe she could do something so cold. Tyler had warned them what was going to happen, but no one wanted to believe she could do it, least of all Damon. He had hoped Bonnie would have broken the compulsion by then, or that she would've been able to do it herself, but neither of those things happened and it broke his heart.

Klaus' excitement began to build as Vella neared the completion of the spell. He watched with pleasure as the werewolves began to falter, sometimes whining or howling in pain. It was the moment he'd been waiting for so long, and he was suddenly becoming impatient. He readied the stake in his hand that he was going to use to kill Vella, keeping one eye on her and one eye on the werewolves.

Vella looked across the battlefield as the spell was nearly complete. Something strange had caught her eye near the place where Bonnie was standing, an unusual mist that seemed to be appearing out of nowhere. And although she continued chanting, she couldn't take her eyes off of the mist, it seemed to be pulling her towards it. It wasn't long before she understood why, when the ghostly images of her mother, Vivian, the father who raised her, Victor, and her sister, Violet appeared. The moment she looked upon them, silent tears began to fall once again.

Everyone stopped abruptly for a few moments as they gazed upon the strange scene before them. It was Klaus, however, who looked the most upset.

"It's too late!" he screamed wildly in triumph.

Suddenly, the Firsts began to howl before changing back into their human forms, some holding their forms longer than others, the last to turn back being Constantine. However, Tyler remained in his wolf form, completely unaffected by the spell.

Klaus began shouting at his minions. "Kill the Firsts!"

Damon, Stefan, Tyler and Caroline began forming a circle around the Firsts to protect them from the remaining vampires, very few witches were still standing. And those that were, were considerably weakened.

Vella stood still, the spell finally complete. She was unable to move, as Klaus had compelled her to do. However, she was able to listen to the voices of her mother, father and sister. They were begging her to break Klaus' compulsion, each of them speaking loving messages that only she could hear, tears flowing freely now.

Her mother told her she could do it, she could break his compulsion, all she had to do was want it bad enough, while her father and sister told her how proud they were of her and how much they loved her. Words she definitely needed to hear at that moment.

Klaus watched Vella with interest for a few moments, he knew what she was trying to do, he could feel it. He was slightly curious to see if she could actually break his compulsion, although he had his doubts. But he assumed if anyone could, it would be her. It was the reason he had to kill her.

He raised the stake in his hand, approaching Vella slowly. He was feeling invincible and had no reason to believe he would fail, so he wanted to thoroughly enjoy the moment for as long as possible. He laughed menacingly as he came closer to her and heard Damon shouting her name in fear and warning. However, his laugh stopped instantly when his brother, Elijah, slammed into him, sending both of them flying sideways, crashing hard against the ground.

"How dare you betray me, Elijah!" Klaus said as he stood up quickly, stake still in hand.

"You betrayed me long ago, _brother_," he spat with disappointment.

"Clark!" he yelled. "Deal with him!"

Elijah had anticipated his brother's reaction, he knew him too well. He reached for the knife he'd kept up his sleeve just for this instance, threw it deftly at Clark, where it hit him in the middle of the forehead before he could even react. He was dead before his body fell to the ground. And before Klaus had a moment to react, he'd moved far enough away from him that he would have to be the one on the offense.

"You won't be killing her, Klaus, " Elijah said with narrowed eyes. "You're the one dying tonight."

"Is this about, Katherine?" he snorted. "You've always been such a sentimental fool."

"No, brother. This isn't just about Katherine," he replied, shaking his head. "There is more to it. However, I doubt you would understand."

Klaus laughed scoffingly. "I don't much care for your reason, brother. Either way, I will punish you for your disloyalty."

The two Originals began to size each other up, trying to get an advantage over the other before they would attack, but neither seemed ready to make the first move. They had to keep one eye on each other, while one eye kept watch around them. Klaus' minions were almost all dead, so very few were left to protect him while he was embroiled in a battle with his brother, who was almost as formidable as himself. He was sure he had nothing to worry about, but he hadn't gotten this far without being cautious.

She wasn't sure when it happened, but one moment Vella was unable to move and the next she felt free once again. Sadly, her family had disappeared, but their words could still be heard in her mind. They told her she was free, free of Klaus' compulsion, and she had work to do.

She glanced quickly upon the battles happening all around her, searching for Damon. When she was satisifed he was safe, she turned around to watch the battle between Klaus and Elijah. Her first instinct was to interfere, but soon a better idea came to her.

She snatched the grimoire from the boulder, flipped a few pages and began chanting. She was already considerably weakened, but she needed to lift the spell she'd put upon the Firsts. She knew they would be able to take care of Klaus, in case Elijah failed. And that was of utmost importance to her, Klaus' death.

As the spell lifted, all of the Firsts turned into werewolves once again, almost instantaneously. Vella dropped the grimoire at her feet, leaning heavily against the boulder. She no longer had the strength to stand on her own. She heard Damon call her name in warning, but her eyesight had gone blurry. She didn't even notice the dark figure approaching her at a high rate of speed, until it pounced on her, it's jaw snapping at her face. Instinctually, she raised her hands across her face to protect herself, but it wasn't enough to keep the werewolf from ripping away the flesh from her arms as she tried to fight against it, screaming in agony.

"No!" She heard Damon scream, only moments before the werewolf was pulled off of her. But when she opened her eyes, it wasn't him standing above her. It was a man she didn't recognize. He nodded his head at her before changing into a werewolf, running off in Klaus' direction.

Seconds later, Damon was crouched beside her, lifting her up to hold her tightly. She was in excrutiating pain, but she wrapped her arms around him, not wanting to let go.

Damon gently pulled away from her embrace, grasping her face with his hands. He gazed deeply into her eyes, tears falling from his. "I'm so sorry, love."

She gazed into his eyes lovingly, although hers were slightly glazed from pain. "I love you, Damon. Don't be sorry."

"I love you, too, " he said with a loving smile, although his eyes showed his pain and guilt.

She raised a hand, trying not to wince, and placed it on his cheek. "Don't feel guilty. Please."

He averted her gaze, calling his brother, who appeared almost instantly. "Can you stay with her, Stefan? I need to do something."

"Don't go. Please, Damon," she begged.

He grasped her hands gently, carefully. "I have to make sure Klaus dies. You understand, right?" She nodded her head once gently. "Stefan will stay with you. It'll all be over soon."

She kept her eyes locked on his, watching the pain in them as he placed her hands into his brother's. She didn't want him to go, and she didn't want to be left with Stefan, but she understood his need to make sure Klaus was dead. And if she hadn't been in so much pain, she would have went with him. She wanted to see Klaus dead as much as he did—maybe even more.

Stefan pulled her against his chest as she began to sob, holding her firmly. He could feel the pain and anguish she was going through and he wished he could make it stop. He wasn't sure what to do about her physical pain, but he knew no matter what anyone said to her, the mental pain would never go away. All he could do was make sure she wasn't alone.

Despite the burning pain now felt from her shoulders to her fingertips, she pulled away from Stefan—after she'd managed to get control over her sobbing—and made her way, albeit clumsily, over to the boulder where the body of her father was still propped against it. She reached for one of his hands, which felt ice cold to the touch, holding it as tightly as she could through the pain. She closed her eyes, concentrating as hard as she could manage and began to chant.

"Vella," Stefan called her name gently, laying a hand on her shoulder.

She ignored him, continuing to chant, even after she began to feel faint. It wasn't until Bonnie swept up behind her, pulling her away forcefully, that she relented.

"Why did you stop me, Bonnie?"

"You're too weak, Vella," she replied with a look of sorrow. "You won't be able to gather enough strength for a spell."  
She looked at her furiously. "I'm dying anyway. What does it matter?"

She shifted her gaze. "We're not gonna let you die, Vella."

She snorted in disbelief. "You and I both know there's no cure for a bite from a First."

She shrugged her shoulders slightly. "I'm sure there is. We just have to find it. Damon isn't gonna let you die. Not after all this."

She felt a pang of sorrow at the mention of his name. She knew how much it would kill him if she died, but she knew there was nothing she could do about it. Eventually the bites on her arms would kill her. She only hoped Damon would make it back to her before that happened. She wanted to spend her last moments with him, and no one else.

As the pain began to radiate further throughout Vella's body, she began to find it difficult to keep herself from closing her eyes. She didn't want to rest, but she knew it would happen eventually. She just wanted to see Damon's beautiful blue eyes and radiant smile once more, just in case it was the last time she ever would. She had no experience with being bitten by a First, so she had no idea how long it would take to succumb to the injuries. However, it wasn't long before everything became a blur; faces, voices—and then suddenly everything went dark, still and quiet.

Damon hadn't wanted to leave his wife, not after she was finally free and he was able to touch her and hold her again. But he needed to see Klaus dead. No matter what happened, he knew that Klaus would never leave Vella alone, not while he was alive. At this point he didn't care who killed him, just as long as someone did. If he survived this night, Damon would always worry that he might show up at some time in the future to hurt his wife again, and he couldn't let that happen.

By the time he made it to where Klaus and Elijah were, the Firsts were already there surrounding them. None of them seemed eager to interrupt the confrontation between the Originals, although Damon was pretty sure they would if Klaus tried to escape. He knew there were more than enough people to make sure he was killed, but he couldn't take any chances. Not with this.

He strolled through the crowd of werewolves, stopping just past the circle. Immediately, Klaus glanced in his direction with a sneer.

"Hello, Damon. How's your wife?" he taunted.

Elijah glanced at Damon quickly before setting his eyes back on his brother.

"I have nothing to say to you, Klaus," Damon said with narrowed eyes. "I'm just here to watch you die."

He laughed derisively. "Do you really think you should be worried about me? What about your wife? She's dying right now, isn't she?" He laughed again as he saw the look of anguish wash across his face. "I can feel her. She's in excruciating pain, Damon. Don't you think you should be by her side during her last moments?"

He glared angrily, gritting his teeth to keep himself from responding.

Klaus laughed again. "And even if she does survive, you're in for more competition."

"What?"

Once again he laughed. "Your wife has the uncanny ability to have people fall in love with her, through no fault of her own." He paused for a moment to watch the look of confusion on his face. "Ask my brother, Elijah. I think he's fallen in love with her, too."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Klaus," he replied, glancing quickly at Elijah, who seemed to be looking guilty.

He laughed in disbelief. "Why do you think so many people wanted to help your wife, Damon? Not from the goodness of their own hearts, I assure you of that."

He narrowed his eyes furiously. "I don't care what you have to say, Klaus."

"Really?" he asked with a chuckle. "Have you never noticed how many people are in love with your wife? Hasn't it ever bothered you?"

"Shut up!" he yelled, clenching his hands into fists.

"Shall I list them?" he continued to taunt. "Your brother, your best friend, Alaric, her ex-boyfriend Tommy, her friend Jason, Tyler, and now Elijah."

"And you?" Damon asked, surprising himself with the question.

He snorted. "I do not love anyone. Such sentimental trash is for the weak, and I am not weak."

"That's where you're wrong, Klaus," Damon replied with a grin. "That's why you're on the losing side. Everyone who loved Vella has stood up to you, joined forces, and now you're the one about to die."

He was silent for a moment before he chuckled. "Do you really think I don't have an escape plan?"

Elijah glared at him, while the Firsts took a step closer.

"I may not have lived as long as you, Klaus. But I do know when someone is screwed."

He grinned deviously, before he ran at Damon, stake raised. But Damon had been expecting an attack and was able to avoid it. He managed to grab him, holding his arms. Elijah caught up to them at that moment and plunged the white ash stake through his brother's heart, his body thrashing around for a few moments before it became still.

Damon dropped Klaus' body to the ground unceremoniously, glancing at Elijah apologetically.

"Thank you, Damon," he said with an outstretched hand.

Damon took his hand and shook it. "I should be thanking you."

He released his hand, glancing at his brother's body quickly, before returning his gaze. "I think we're even."

He nodded his head in agreement, turning around in time to see Constantine approaching them in his human form.

"Thank you, Damon," Constantine said with a smile. "Finally we can live our lives in peace."

He was about to say something when Elijah interrupted.

"What about me, Constantine?" he asked with trepidation. "Am I free to go? Or will I have to watch my back for the rest of eternity?"

He gazed at him pensively for a few moments. "As long as you wish us no ill, we have no quarrel with you, Elijah."

He glanced down in shame. "It was my brother who wished you harm. I have no issue with you and your kin."

"Then it's settled!" he replied excitedly. "We can all go back to our lives once again."

"Wait a minute!" Damon said angrily. "You promised no harm would come to my wife. And thanks to one of your, _kin_, she's dying."

"Damon—"

"No, Constantine. You're going to help her or else!"

He looked at Damon sadly. "I'm afraid there isn't anything I can do for her."

"You lie!" he yelled furiously. "You have to know how to help her!"

Constantine opened his mouth to respond, when Damon attempted to grab him, however, Elijah had anticipated what he was going to do, so he managed to grab him by the shoulders, holding him firmly.

"Damon, stop," Elijah said in a soothing manner. "We'll find something to help her. Just keep calm."

His hardened look softened slightly before he pulled himself from Elijah's grasp.

"You're coming with me, Constantine," he said seriously, yet calmly. "She reversed that spell. You owe her."

He nodded his head in agreement. "I will do what I can, Damon."

"What're we gonna do about him?" Damon asked, as he glanced at Klaus' body.

"He's my brother. I'll deal with him," Elijah replied as he placed a supportive hand on his shoulder. "Go be with your wife."

He nodded in thanks, glancing at Constantine knowingly, then ran back to where he'd left his wife.

**A/N: Well, it took a lot of work to finally write this, so I hope you enjoyed it. I went back and reread my story, yes ALL of the chapters lol. I think it was what I needed to get past my writer's block, immersing myself in the story once again. There will be at least another few chapters, but no promises after that. I need to focus on my other fics as well as working on my own novel, which is in the very beginning stages. It's a lot more work creating all of the characters from scratch lol. Anyway, before I go off and rant some more, I want to thank everyone who made me continue writing, it's been a lot of fun. I will do my best to update soon, but expect a couple of weeks, unless my ideas decide to run away, like they did for this chapter.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	115. Chapter 115

Chapter 115

By the time Damon made it back to Vella, she was already unconcious. It upset him desperately, but he was also glad she wasn't feeling any pain at that moment. If Klaus had ever told the truth about anything, he knew he was telling the truth about the excrutiating pain his wife was in from the werewolf bite.

He cringed as he saw his wife's limp, lifeless body in Stefan's arms. He had to fight a wave of rage and jealousy that had swept through him momentarily, reminding himself that he'd asked his brother to watch over her.

"I'll take her now," he said to his brother as gratefully as he could.

His brother nodded his head, gently passing her body into his waiting arms.

"What about, Klaus?" he asked hesitantly.

He gazed at his brother with relief. "He's dead, Stefan."

"And—"

"I swear, Stefan. If you ask about Vella, I will tear your head off," he warned.

He shifted his gaze uncomfortably, staying silent.

He glanced at his wife's face, holding back tears. "I need you to look after this mess, Stefan. Do you think you can handle that?"

"Yes."

He nodded once gratefully, shifted his wife in his arms and began to run towards the boarding house.

When Damon arrived at the boarding house, he headed straight up to their bedroom, lying Vella in the bed carefully. He regretted not having clean sheets on the bed for a moment, until he remembered the wounds on her arms were still open and bleeding. He knew it would irritate her, but he was willing to have her upset with him, as long as it meant she was okay.

He sat on the edge of the bed, stroking her hair gently, just as he always did when she needed to relax, or calm down, hoping she would wake, but she didn't even flinch at his touch. It made it difficult to keep himself together, although he was on the verge of tears. However, he wanted to keep himself under control so he could be there to support her. He just hoped he didn't lose his mind first.

It was a short time later when everyone returned from the battlefield. Damon had dozed off slightly, lying beside his wife, her hand in his. But the moment they entered the house he was wide awake, sitting up. As he let go of her hand, he heard her moan slightly, making him reach out for her hand again. As he took it into his, she moaned once again.

"Vella," he called gently.

He continued to call her name quietly, desperately hoping she would wake. However, her moaning seemed to be involuntary. She didn't seem to respond to his voice, or even his gentle touch.

After choking back a few tears, he headed downstairs to find Constantine, who happened to be sitting down in a far corner away from everyone else, except for Tyler and Mason Lockwood. He shot him a knowing glance, but his brother stepped in his way before he could make his way over to speak with him.

"What is it, Stefan?" he asked with irritation. "I'm a little busy right now."

"What should I do with John's body?" he whispered so quietly even Damon could barely hear him.

He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment before regaining his composure. "Put him in the basement for now. I have more important things to take care of."

"Already done. I just didn't know if—"

"I know what you're doing, Stefan," he snapped. "But I'm sure you don't need to ask since you can probably feel what's going on, am I right?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "That's where you're wrong, Damon. I don't feel much of anything. Not like I did before."

He was surprised, curious and irritated. He definitely didn't want to speak about the bond his brother has with his wife, but at the same time he was curious to know what he meant.

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean, Stefan."

He shifted his gaze. "Ever since Klaus, uh, took her—I haven't been able to feel her like I once did."

Damon swallowed hard, fighting the anger that had begun to bubble up inside him.

"Me either, Stefan," he replied with a note of finality. He'd had enough of this particular conversation.

He glanced awkwardly at his brother, before he walked away to sit with Elena.

Damon glanced around the room again to make sure everyone had made it back safely.

Alaric was sitting with Jenna. He seemed to be banged up and bloody, but he managed to survive the night without the use of his ring, which was a huge relief to him.

Caroline was sitting with Matt just holding hands and speaking quietly. Of all the people, he was most surprised she'd survived. He'd never thought much of her, but he'd been impressed by her change since she'd become a vampire. He'd had his doubts about her, but he didn't any longer.

Bonnie was the person he most wanted to see. She was sitting on a chair alone attempting to read the grimoire Vella had had in her possession when he approached her.

"A penny for your witchy thoughts," he teased as he sat down beside her.

She smiled at him slightly, before returning her attention back to the old book.

"Find anything interesting in there?" he prodded.

She shook her head slightly. "It looks impressive, but most of it's in a language I don't understand."

He looked at her sadly. "So there's no chance you might find a cure in there?"

"I don't know, Damon," she replied regretfully. "I'm not sure I would even have time to get it translated. I don't know...how long she has before..."

He knew what she was going to say, so there was no need for her to finish her sentence. Besides, he didn't want to hear it, he wasn't going to listen. He was going to find a way to save his wife, even if it meant he had to resort to darker means.

He thanked Bonnie before he made his way over to where Constantine was sitting. He glanced at Mason curiously first, suddenly realizing he hadn't seen him at all once the battle had begun.

"So...have you figured out how to help my wife yet?" he asked as he sat down in a chair facing Constantine's.

He shrugged slightly. "I am not sure what you would have me do, Damon. I have no idea how to help her."

He glared at him angrily, fighting the urge to attack him. Once he was sure he was calm enough, he spoke again.

"Then you only have one other option," he replied seriously.

He sighed slightly, unsure he wanted to know what he intended. "What is it?"

"I wanna see the werewolf who bit her—dead. At my hands," he replied with a deadly serious look.

He shook his head in refusal. "That's not an option, Damon."

"You said if we helped you no harm would come to her!" he yelled loudly, making everyone in the room glance in his direction.

He was silent for a moment, pondering his answer. "And I warned you, Damon. That if the spell was cast, I couldn't guarantee her safety."

"He didn't attack her until she reversed the spell!" he yelled furiously as he stood up. "There was no reason for it!"

"I'm sorry, Damon. You're right," he replied apologetically. "But nothing will be gained by his death."

He glared at him with a deadly ferocity, his hands clenched tightly into fists. But with an incredible amount of will, he was able to get control of his rage, relaxing his hands. However, he still glared at him as he stood up.

"We're not done," he stated firmly before he walked away. He wanted to check on his wife, but he had been more concerned about his anger at that moment. He definitely didn't want to do something he would regret later. He already had enough regrets.

He walked upstairs fully intent on visiting his wife, but when he made it to the top of the stairs he heard little Anthony crying and his mother attempting to calm him down. He decided to walk down the hallway and see if he could help.

"I'm sorry, Damon," Mara apologised as she opened the door to her bedroom. "Anthony is being fussy."

"I understand," he said as he walked into the room.

"How is..." she asked, unable to finish her sentence.

He gazed at her sadly. "She's home, but—"

She laid a supportive arm on his shoulder. "Can I see her?"

He nodded his head lightly. "Why don't you bring Anthony, too? I'm she'd love to see both of you."

After he prepared her for what state his wife was in, they made their way to Damon's bedroom. His wife was still lying in the bed in the same position she'd been in when he'd left. Her breathing sounded a little more even than it had, but it also sounded a little more labored.

Mara nearly broke down when she saw her best friend's condition. She was paler than she'd ever seen her and she could tell by the expression on her face that she was in pain. And while Damon hadn't told her how bad her condition was, she knew by his tone and expression that it was serious.

Anthony sat on the bed calling Vella's name and gently prodding her. Glancing up at his mother sadly, he asked why she wouldn't wake up, but she was unable to answer her son for fear she might break down. And when he became impatient, Damon scooped him up in his arms and took him outside in the hallway.

"Vella's very sick right now," Damon explained to the little boy, trying desperately to keep his voice from cracking. "But I know she would be happy to see you if she was awake."

"Why won't she wake up?"

"I don't know, buddy," he replied, choking back tears.

The little boy gazed at him supportively. "Don't be sad, Damon," he said before hugging him tightly.

He held the boy tightly, allowing a few tears to roll down his face, which he deftly wiped away before the youngster could see them. He was about to say something when Mara called his name. He immediately walked back into the room, handing Anthony back to his mother when he noticed Vella's eyes open.

"Vella," he called with excitement as he crouched beside the bed, grasping her hand gently.

Although she was wincing in pain, he saw her eyes light up the moment their eyes met.

"Don't try and speak," he said as stroked her hair.

"Aunt Vella!" Anthony yelled as he squirmed from his mother's arms, climbing up onto the bed beside Damon.

"Hey, little guy," she said hoarsely. "How are you?"

"Mommy and Uncle Damon said you're sick. Maybe they should make you soup."

She smiled in amusement. "Maybe a hug would work."

The little boy wiggled closer, hugging her firmly, but gently, before kissing her lightly on the cheek.

"I already feel much better," she replied with a smile. She turned to Damon for a moment, asking him quietly if he could take the boy out of the room so she could speak with Mara alone.

He nodded his head in agreement, although his brow was wrinkled with worry. He scooped the boy up and left the room before he could protest too much.

Mara moved closer, sitting on the bed where Damon had just vacated. She smiled at her friend, but she couldn't hide her sadness.

"It'll be okay, Mara," she tried reassuring her.

"You can't promise that," she replied, her voice cracking slightly.

She reached out, grabbing her friend's hand. "Yes, I can."

"How can you—"

"There's a cure," she blurted out, before she began to cough.

She rested her hand on her friend until her coughing subsided. "What is it?"

She nodded her head. "I don't know. But I know where to find it."

She pursed her lips, her brow furrowing. "If something happens to you—"

"It won't, Mara."

"But if it does—"

"I love you, Mara, but I'll be fine," she replied reassuringly.

She tried smiling, but all she could do was frown. "I love you, too," she said hugging her.

Vella sighed as her friend pulled away from the embrace. "Just promise me something—just in case."

"Anything."

"If something happens to me," she said, pausing for a moment in pain. "Promise me you'll keep in touch with Damon."

She smiled lightly, shaking her head. "Of course."

She smiled happily, closing her eyes to keep from crying out in pain. She swallowed hard as she opened her eyes, her friend looking at her with concern.

"Could you get Damon for me, please?"

Mara smiled and nodded her head, although her eyes showed her concern. She turned, leaving the room quickly before she could cry in front of her friend. When she got outside of the room, she didn't see Damon, so she walked down the hallway to her room. She knew immediately they were there by the happy squeals coming from within.

"Vella wants to see you, Damon," she told him, trying to keep her voice even.

He nodded his head in response, then crouched down in front of Anthony. "You need to promise me you'll be good and go back to sleep. Aunt Vella needs quiet so she can rest and get better."

"Okay, Uncle Damon," he agreed with a smile, hugging him tightly.

"Good boy," he replied, tousling his hair.

The boy smiled brightly again before he ran to the other end of the room and climbed into the large four poster bed.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you compel Anthony to listen to you," Mara remarked with a grin.

He shot her a mock innocent smile and a wink.

"Vella wants to see you now, Damon."

"Thank you, Mara," he said, laying a hand on her shoulder. "I don't know what she would do without such a great friend."

She nodded with a slight smile, afraid she would begin to cry if she attempted to speak.

He knew Mara was upset, so he quickly returned to the bedroom he shared with his wife. She had propped her pillows up so she was elevated slightly, her eyes closed lightly.

"I'm awake," she said as he entered the room. "My eyes just hurt."

He climbed onto the bed slowly and carefully, sitting up beside her, holding onto her hand.

"Mara said you wanted to see me," he said, unable to stop his voice from wavering in fear.

She opened her eyes, trying her best to hide how much pain she was in. "I need you to do something for me."

"Of course," he replied as he squeezed her hand.

She smiled lightly. "I need the grimoire I had before I collapsed."

"Why?" he asked with confusion.

She sighed quietly, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them once again, she smiled at him in a teasing way. "You're still making things difficult for me I see."

He smiled, shrugging his shoulders innocently. "Old habits die hard."

She winced as she smiled. "I didn't want to get your hopes up, Damon. I was hoping you wouldn't ask me why. But I should've known you would want to know."

He gazed at her hopefully. "Does this mean there's a cure?"

She smiled, but it didn't reflect in her eyes. "There is, but—I don't know what it is. There's a possibility it can't even be done."

"But there is, right?" he asked hopefully. "And you can read those spells?"

"I can read them," she replied tersely.

He lifted her hand, kissing it lightly before placing it back beside her on the bed. "I'll be right back."

He ran downstairs quickly, nearly knocking his brother over in his haste. He snatched the book from Bonnie's hands without so much as an explanation before bringing it to the bedroom.

Her eyes were closed when he returned with the ancient book. He stood silently for a few moments to observe her, then wished he hadn't. He could see how much pain she was in and he wanted it to stop, desperately. It pained him deeply that there was nothing he could do to ease her pain. He called her name gently before placing the book on the bed beside her.

Her eyes fluttered open, glazed over from the pain. She smiled at him lovingly in an attempt to ease his pain, although she knew it was no use. She knew what he was like. As long as she was in pain, he would be in pain.

She picked the large book up from the bed, laying it on her lap and began to flip through the pages. Damon had come to sit beside her and was watching her curiously, which made her laugh internally since she knew he couldn't read a single word in the grimoire. When she found what she was looking for, she attempted to translate it, but she had a difficult time concentrating between the pain and her blurry eyesight.

"Could you possibly get something else for me?" she asked sweetly.

"What's that?"

"Some blood."

"What the hell is wrong with me," he replied in shame. "That should've been the first thing I got for you when you woke up."

She gazed at him with understanding. "You've had a lot on your mind. I forgive you," she said, then smiled slightly.

He shook his head in disbelief, leaving the room quickly. He returned only moments later with a blood bag, which he handed to her before sitting on the bed next to her.

She snatched the blood from his hands, drinking it greedily. "I'm sorry, Damon," she apologized as she wiped the blood from her lips.

"You shouldn't apologize for your hunger," he replied.

She handed the empty bag back to him, averting her eyes. She was worried he would notice that she was hiding something if she didn't look away. She didn't want to tell him how she was feeling at that moment. The blood was refreshing, since she was so weak. But after so long of only having fresh blood from living people, it didn't seem to satisfy her like it once did. She felt ashamed for feeling that way, although Damon had always told her not to since it was natural, and then she remembered someone else had told her the same thing—Klaus. Thinking about him made her visibly shiver.

"Are you alright?" he asked with concern, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close.

She nodded her head, fighting back tears. "I was just thinking about—Klaus," she replied, her voice quavering.

"You don't have to worry about him ever again," he replied supportively. "He's dead."

Her eyes went wide for a moment before she began to shake her head. "No, he's not."

"What?" he asked in shock. "Yes, he is. I watched Elijah kill him myself."

She nodded her head lightly to relieve his agitation, but she wasn't sure what to think. She felt he was still alive, but there was no way she was going to mention that right now. She just wanted to get better so she could finally do what she'd been dreaming of for weeks—lay in Damon's arms and forget about the world.

She turned her attention back to the task at hand, the spell in the grimoire. She felt slightly better after she'd eaten, so concentrating was much easier than it had been.

When she was finished reading, she placed the book on the bed opposite of Damon, then laid her head back, closing her eyes to rest. She felt Damon squeeze her hand supportively, which kept her from whimpering in pain.

"Are you going to tell me what you need?" he asked with concern and impatience.

She opened her eyes slowly and turned to face him. "I need a kiss, for starters."

He grinned at her before moving in close and kissed her lightly. "And now what?"

"We need to work on your patience," she teased.

"This isn't really the time for jokes, or teasing," he replied shortly.

"Really? I wouldn't know what that's like," she replied with a sarcastic glance.

He rolled his eyes knowingly, then squeezed her hand gently. "What about the cure, love?"

She sighed, rather than crying out in pain. "I only need two things."

When she didn't elaborate, he became impatient. "What are they?"

"A witch, since I'm too weak."

"Am I gonna have to pull teeth to get a straight answer from you?" he asked impatiently, after once again waiting for her to respond.

She opened her mouth to respond when she began to cough. She quickly covered her mouth, pulling away from Damon. But as her coughing became so intense she began to heave, he pulled her close, speaking to her softly. When she finally gained control of her breathing once again, she pulled her hand away from her face. It was covered in blood.

"You need to tell me what else you need for that spell," he said desperately.

She nodded her head as she wiped her hand on her already bloody shirt. "I need the blood of a First," she replied softly.

He glanced at her with confusion for a moment, before it turned to determination. "Oh, I know exactly where I'm gonna get that."

"Damon," she replied softly, but in a scolding tone.

"I'll behave," he said innocently. "I promise."

She nodded her head lightly before laying back against her pillows and closed her eyes to rest.

He paused for a moment to drink in the beauty of his wife, even if she was paler than normal. He'd felt so lost without her and he was desperately afraid of losing her again, only this time it would be for good. He wasn't sure what he would do if that happened. He only knew he needed to save her. He brushed his fingertips along her cheek lightly, eliciting a sigh from her, before he slowly climbed out of the bed.

His first instinct was to run downstairs, stab Dominic and drag Bonnie upstairs with him. But he pushed that thought out of his mind, as pleasurable as it seemed at the moment he was pretty sure it wouldn't go over very well. Instead, he strolled down the stairs slowly, trying to figure out how to ask Dominic for his blood nicely. He didn't do nice. And he was pretty sure the First was going to have an issue giving up his blood.

He strolled into the livingroom trying his best to be nonchalant, but everyone in the room was desperate for information about Vella, at least the ones who were still in attendance. Tyler, Caroline and Matt were gone and Elena seemed to have fallen asleep sitting up with Stefan. Most of them sat up straighter in their seats, or were watching him with quiet expectation.

"Bonnie," he said as he glanced in her direction. "Vella needs you."

She nodded once then stood up from her seat, quickly sweeping from the room.

"How is she?" Jeremy asked with impatience, when it looked like Damon wasn't going to volunteer the information.

He resisted the urge to yell, '_how the hell do you think she's doing_?', instead opting for a simple answer.

"She's dying."

Jeremy was taken aback by the bluntness of his response. But his shock was soon followed by a gasping sound before he left the room quickly.

His brother shot him a disappointed look, but he ignored it. He didn't give a damn if anyone's feelings were hurt. He only cared about his wife at the moment.

He approached Constantine, who was still sitting with Mason Lockwood, doing his best to keep his face even and untelling.

"Are you still willing to help my wife?"

"I said that I would, Damon," he replied. "I do not go back on my word."

"Good. I need you to come upstairs with me," he replied evenly, quickly adding, "alone."

He began to stand up, when Mason grabbed him by the wrist.

"Is that a good idea?"

"Relax, Mason," he replied as he pulled his wrist away. "Damon isn't stupid enough to try anything."

Damon narrowed his eyes but didn't respond.

"Lead the way, Damon."

He quickly turned around, leading Constantine up to his bedroom. As he got to the top of the stairs, he could hear his wife's wracking cough once again, only this time it sounded worse. He quickly bounded into the bedroom, where Bonnie was sitting beside her on the bed, her arm on her back supportively. She glanced at Damon helplessly as he walked in.

Damon moved beside his wife, nearly knocking Bonnie out of the way. He held her firmly, his brow furrowed in concern, his eyes showing his helplessness. When her coughing finally subsided, he turned to the First.

"Vella found a cure in the grimoire she received from Klaus," he said hesitantly. "And the only ingredient in the spell is something that you can provide."

He narrowed his eyes shrewdly. "What is it?"

Damon hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should just blurt it out, or try to soften the blow.

"I need your blood," Vella mumbled impatiently, tired of waiting for him to respond.

He glanced in her direction, his eyes studying her for what seemed like forever, although it was only a few moments.

"I need something from you first, Vella."

Damon narrowed his eyes threateningly, but she remained calm and unsurprised.

"I'm sure whatever it is would be fair," she replied diplomatically.

He nodded his head, gazing at her thoughtfully. "I need _you_ to destroy that grimoire when we're done here."

She tried not to show her shock, but she was completely flabbergasted. "Why?"

"The spells in that book should never see the light of day again," he replied firmly. "I'm sure you've read them. You must know how dangerous they can be?"

"I do," she answered with the nod of her head.

"That is your answer," he replied matter-of-factly.

She averted her gaze for a moment to think. She wanted to keep the grimoire. There were a few useful spells in there, one in particular she wanted badly. But if she didn't agree to destroy it, she wouldn't even live long enough to use any of them.

"Vella?" Damon called as he nudged her gently.

She once again glanced in Constantine's direction, and with conviction, agreed to his terms.

He nodded, smiling somewhat happily. "Fantastic!"

She glanced uneasily at Bonnie as she approached the bed with the grimoire, directing Constantine towards her and asking Damon to back away, which he did, reluctantly. She was slightly worried about the spell, but she didn't want to say anything, especially to Damon. She knew Bonnie didn't understand the language of the spell, but she'd already had her read it over while Damon had been downstairs and she had no problems reciting it. However, the problem was if she didn't do it properly, Constantine's blood would only poison her further and her death would probably be instantaneous. She didn't want to put any undue pressure on Bonnie. And she definitely didn't want to worry Damon anymore than she already had. So after a few moments of indecision, she finally decided not to tell either of them anything.

Bonnie was busy explaining the spell to Constantine when she suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"What is it, Bonnie?" Vella asked with alarm.

"I'm not really comfortable, uh, you know..."

She looked at her with confusion for a moment before realization set in. If she hadn't been in so much pain she might have laughed.

"She needs to draw blood, Constantine," she explained, "but she's uncomfortable with it."

"That isn't a problem," he said, as he extended one hand, growing one claw on the other and raking it across his palm, drawing a crimson pool of blood. "Will this suffice?"

"Yes," she answered with the slightest hint of disgust, before turning towards Vella, who had just begun to cough.

Damon stepped forward to help his wife, but she shooed him away, glancing at Bonnie with pleading eyes.

The witch gazed at her apologetically for a moment. She felt badly for Vella, but she really didn't want anything to do with this spell. And somehow she knew it too. If there had been another way, she never would have agreed.

She turned towards the nightstand, beginning to recite the spell from the grimoire. She had only spoken a few words when she grasped Constantine's wrist and turned it over, squeezing slightly so the blood could fall onto Vella. She continued to recite the spell, even after Vella screamed out in agony as the blood came into contact with her skin, alarming everyone.

Vella had tried not to scream, but the pain was excrutiating. She had to push Damon away again so he wouldn't interfere with the spell. And although the pain continued, it diminished slighty as the spell went on, until it became only a dull ache. And when the spell was finally completed, the pain disappeared completely. Only the memory of it was left.

She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath and releasing it before she opened them again. The three people in the room were gazing at her with an expectation, but she only had eyes for one man. Her husband, Damon.

"The pain is gone," she said, her look a mixture of relief and happiness.

Damon was still for a moment, stunned in disbelief. But when the realization finally hit him, he practically dove at his wife, squeezing her in a tight embrace. He tried to hide his tears of joy from those in the room, but he couldn't hide them from his wife.

"If there is nothing else..." Constantine said, leaving his question open ended.

"I'm gonna head downstairs now," Bonnie said, wanting to leave the couple alone.

"Wait!" Damon said as he turned around, deftly wiping his tears as he did so. "I want to thank both of you. Words can't express how much I appreciate your assistance."

"Thanks are not necessary, Damon," Constantine replied. "I hope that this will help end the animosity between our kind."

He grinned slightly. "I don't hate any group. Just individuals."

He nodded in response with the slightest hint of a smile before he swept from the room.

"You're welcome, Damon—and Vella," Bonnie said happily. "If it's okay with the two of you, I'm gonna head downstairs and let everyone know what's happened."

He nodded, which she took as her answer, leaving the room quickly.

Damon waited until everyone was out of earshot before turning to his wife with a more serious look.

"Are you sure you're fine?" he asked with concern.

She smiled lovingly, brushing her hand across his face lightly, smiling even brighter as he closed his eyes and sighed with pleasure.

"I'm fine. Really," she said, smiling as he grasped her hand, holding it against his face.

"You have no idea how much I missed you, love," he said softly, tears welling up in his eyes.

Using the hand Damon wasn't holding, she brushed the tears from his eyes as they fell, fighting hard to keep tears from falling from her own.

"I do," she replied quietly, her voice trembling.

He released her hand so he could use both of his hands to pull her against him tightly, allowing her to bury her face in his chest. Closing his eyes, he breathed in her familiar scent, almost not believing that he was holding her again. That somehow it was another trick that Klaus was playing on him. But he knew this was real, and it was everything he'd been dreaming about for so long.

He brushed his hand through her hair, stopping when he felt her shudder.

"What's wrong, Vella?" he asked with concern.

She pulled away slightly, looking up into his eyes sadly, her eyes full of tears.

"I'm sorry, Damon," she said as she began to sob.

"What are you sorry for?" he asked, her tears bringing him pain.

She shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it right now," she replied quietly. "Could you just hold me?"

"Of course," he replied, kissing her gently on the forehead. "For as long as you want."

She smiled gratefully before burying her head in his chest once again. Closing her eyes, she sighed in relief, snuggling into his warm, loving embrace and whispered, "Forever."

**A/N: Well, the story isn't over yet. How do you think things will be now that Vella has escaped Klaus? And is he really dead? Or is she just acting paranoid? Guess you'll just have to wait and see *wink* And I'm sorry it took so long to update. I had written much of this chapter immediately after the last update, however I ran into a huge wall and had to leave it for a while. I'll try not to take so long for the next one.**

**Thanks for reading!**


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